Tuesday, June 1, 1948

WIL STANDINGS
W L Pct. GB
Tacoma ..... 23 14 .622 --
Bremerton .. 21 19 .525 3½
Wenatchee .. 21 19 .521 3½
Spokane .... 20 19 .513 4
Salem ...... 19 20 .487 5
Victoria ... 20 23 .465 6
Vancouver .. 17 21 .447 6½
Yakima ..... 17 23 .425 7½

WENATCHEE, June 1—Wenatchee manager Chuck Cronin won a pitchers' duel from Bremerton's Keith Simon tonight as the Chiefs defeated Bremerton, 2-1, in the first game of their Western International League series. A single by Lou Estes scored Ray McNulty, who had doubled, for the Chiefs' run in the first inning. In the third, Estes doubled in McNulty, who singled, for the other run.
Bremerton's lone tally came on singles by Lil Arnerich and Bill Barisoff in the fourth.
Cronin fanned eight batters and yielded five hits.
Bremerton .......... 000 100 000—1 5 0
Wenatchee ........ 101 000 00x—2 8 2
Simon and Volpi; Cronin and Dalrymple.

SPOKANE, June 1—Tacoma Tigers chewed Spokane Indians, 12-6, tonight, but the game was finished under a Spokane protest.
The protest came in the ninth when Indian pitcher Gene Babbitt threw a ball hit by Tiger Ray Tran over first baseman Gene Petralli's head into the right field bleachers. The umpire allowed Hank Vallee, who was on second, and Glen Stetter, who was on first, to score on the play for Tacoma. Tran, the hitter, moved to third, where he stayed.
George Valine, Spokane second baseman, protested and was thumbed from the game by umpire John Nenezich.
The Indians took an early lead but were unable to hold out against the Tacoma batsmen in the last third of the game.
Stan Gilson as the winning pitcher. John Orphal was tagged with the loss.
Tacoma ............. 000 102 504—12 11 1
Spokane ............ 003 020 010—6 15 3
Gleason, Gilson (6), Venturelli (8) and Rossi; Orphal, Babbitt (7) and Sheely.

ABERDEEN, Wash., June 1—Vancouver Capilanos stopped off here tonight before heading to Salem, Oregon to open the season for the Independent Grays Harbor Merchants. Larry Manier pitched six-hit ball in winning the exhibition game, 6-2, and his mates clubbed two Merchants moundsmen for 14 hits.
Vancouver ........... 000 000 312—6 14 2
Grays Harbor ....... 100 100 000—2 6 5
Manier and Warren; Kaifer, Jorgenson (7) and Manley.

Salem, Yakima and Victoria were idle.

Non WIL Minor League News

Two Baseballers Banned for Life
BY FRITZ HOWELL
COLUMBUS, 0., June 1—Bernard DeForge, manager-pitcher of the Reidsville Club of the Carolina League, and Ed Weingarten, an official of the Florence, S.C., Club of the Tri-State League and Leaksville, N.C. of the Blue Ridge loop, were banned from baseball today.
The men were placed on the permanently ineligible list by George M. Trautman, president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. He acted after a lengthy investigation into bribery, gambling and game-throwing charges center around the May 14 game between Winston-Salem and Reidsville of the Carolina League.
Trautman, in a long statement, said DeForge admitted "throwing the game, which Winston-Salem won 5-0, and that the Reidsviile manager confessed he had received $300. Trautman said Deforge admitted receiving the money from "one W. C. McWaters."
Trautman's statement said Deforge's "misconduct stemmed from a meeting May 10 in the Hotel Belvedere, Reidsville, between himself,
Weingarten and McWaters," Trautman quoted him as saying they discussed the proposition of "making a lot of money by betting on baseball games" and that it was agreed McWaters would contact Deforge at the proper time.
PASSES FOUR, WILD, PITCHES
Deforge was quoted as saying he received a telephone call at his Reidsville home from McWaters on May 14, and was told to "see to it that Reidsville lost that night's game by at least three runs."
The record showed that after seven and a half innings of play, Winston-Salem was leading, 2 to 0. Deforge then relieved Pitcher Tal Abernathy. Deforge gave four bases on balls and uncorked a wild pitch, Winston-Salem scoring three unearned runs and winning, 5 to 0.
(Last year, as pitcher-manager of the Natchez club of-the Evangeline league, Deforge won 12 and lost four games, walking 25 and making one wild pitch in 147 innings, Trautman's records show.)
Trautman said his investigation was started because of reports that heavy gambling had taken place on the basis Winston-Salem would win by three runs, and that a "known gambler had been seen talking with Deforge while he was warming up and that there was no logical reason for relief of Pitcher Abernathy, and that Deforge had issued the bases on balls in order to assume defeat of his team by at least three runs."
Deforge said, Trautman added, that McWaters handed him $300 in a hotel lobby after the game, and that McWaters remarked: "I hated to see you have to do what you did."
"Unfortunately this office is without jurisdiction with respect to McWaters and could not require
him to answer Deforge's charges," Trautman's statement said.
CLUB OFFICIAL DENIES PART
"It does, however, have jurisdiction over the club official concerned, Ed Weingarten, and that individual was summoned to this office for a hearing on June 1.
"Upon being questioned, Weingarten denied Deforge's statements in toto, whereupon Deforge was called into the hearing and repeated his charges, Weingarten remained adamant in his denials, even when presented with documentary evidence establishing that he was at the Belvedere hotel, Reidsville, May 10, that McWaters had registered at that hotel, and that he and McWaters were seen in conversation in the hotel lobby that day."
Trautman continued that he was obliged to find Deforge guilty of conduct detrimental to baseball and that he was unable to accept Weingarten's statements that he was in no way involved.
Then Trautman ruled that both were on the permanently ineligible list, and that the May 14 Winston-Salem game with Reidsville should be "replayed from the point the misconduct occurred."
"The only regret this office has with respect to these orders," Trautman continued, "is that the president of the National Association is not empowered to impose upon Weingarten a penalty truly commensurate with his offense. In this connection, there is some consolation in the knowledge that a statute of the state of North Carolina provides a penalty of imprisonment
for anybody found guilty of 'fixing' a ball game, and I feel that I speak for all professional baseball when I wish the law enforcement officials of that state God-speed in any action that state might institute against the guilty."
HAVE RIGHT OF APPEAL
Under baseball rules, Deforge and Weingarten may appeal to the executive committee of the national association within 30 days. Should they lose that appeal, they may carry the case to Commissioner A. B. Chandler.
"During the hearing relative to the general subject," Trautman said, "it was disclosed that the Reidsville club, thru its president, Phil Lundeen, had filed with Commissioner Chandler a statement of the interests of its owners with other clubs, without mentioning that Reidsville stockholders Brady and Smothers held a stock interest in the Florence club (Tri-State league). Lundeen testified that this omission was the result of inadvertence on his part, and this office is inclined to believe his defense, Therefore, Lundeen is hereby fined $500, the collection of which is suspended, until such time as Lundeen may again be guilty of such misconduct."
Deforge and Weingarten were present as Trautman handed down his edict. Also present were Presidents C. M. Llewellyn of the Class B Tri-State league; Stanley F. Radke of the Class D Blue Ridge league, and Carroll T. Brown of the Class C Carolina league.
Only principal not present in Trautman's office was McWaters. A check throughout the Carolinas by the Associated Press failed to reveal his whereabouts.
Brown said as he emerged from the hearing: "This thing makes me sick at my stomach."
Deforge, whose permanent address on the association's records is Jersey City, N. J., started in baseball in 1937 with Beatrice of the Nebraska State league. Later he was with Dayton, O., Durham, N. C., Birmingham, Ala., Portsmouth, Va., Montreal and Natchez. He spent three years in the service during the war.

Trautman Commits Error on Unearned Runs
COLUMBUS, O., June 2—The president of the minor leagues apparently slipped yesterday— either with his rulebook or his typewriter.
In a long statement accompanying the life expulsion from organized baseball of two minor leaguers, President George M. Trautman wrote:
" . . . Deforge issued four bases on balls and committed a wild pitch, the net result being that Winston-Salem scored three unearned runs in its half of the eighth inning and won the game, 5 to 0."
Rule 70, Section 12, of the official rules for baseball includes wild pitches as a method of scoring
earned runs, contradicting Trautman's description of the disputed runs.

Police Continue To Investigate Report Of Baseball Gambling
Winston-Salem, N. C., June 2—Police investigation continued today where organized baseball left off yesterday in the banishment of two men from the game for life.
A lifetime ban was placed against Bernard DeForge, pitcher - manager of the Reidsville, N. C., team of the Carolina League, and Ed Weingarten, an official of the Florence, S. C., club of the Tri-State League and Leaksville, N. C., of the Blue Ridge loop.
They were banned on charges of Bribery, gambling and game-throwing.
Police Chief John Gold and Detective Captain W. R. Burke of Winston-Salem said no criminal charges had been filed but that "an investigation is being conducted and we are cooperating with baseball people in this thing."
A North Carolina statute makes "fixing" of athletic events a criminal offense.
At Florence, S. C., where Weingarten was general manager and major stockholder of that city's entry in the Class B Tri-State league, minor stockholders said the team would continue league play.
Following National Association president George Trautman's decision, Charlotte Police Chief Frank N. Littlejohn said he had assigned two detectives to investigate reports of a betting coup at the Florence - Charlotte Tri-State game at Charlotte May 15.
Liltlejohn added that investigation thus far revealed no evidence of a 'fix', but he ordered a "crackdown" on all gambling at local games.