ALBERTA
The baseball scene in the province saw a fair amount of trouble and confusion as noted in this article in The Leader, Regina, July 31, 1913. (Even more confusing is the reference below to Frienk/Frink as the star hurler of Brooks, when he was the top moundsman of the Calgary Bronchos of the professional Western Canada League.)
An amateur row similar to that which stirred hockey circles in Alberta last winter has arisen out of the Gleichen baseball tournament in which eleven teams from Southern Alberta are participating. Rube Frienk [Walter Frink], star twirler of Brooks got $100 for pitching Langdon to victory last night, but his battery mate happened to be Rowe the star catcher of the City Amateur League. That stirred up Bob Pearson, local representative of the Amateur Athletic Union, and when he saw the box scores published in the evening paper today, he got busy. Besse, the star second baseman of Y.M.C.A. also played for Langdon, and he and Rowe were both suspended. Smith, pitcher of Y.M.C.A. Valiant second base for Athletics and Ward, catcher for the Y.M.C.A. all played for Strathmore, and they too lost their amateur cards. Dowdell, right fielder for the Vics, played for Brooks and was also placed under the ban.
The result of the suspensions has taken all the best players of the City League and the teams will be sadly disorganized in the fight for the pennant which is now close. Rube Frienk pitched great ball for Langdon, and fanned seventeen opponents.
It was bad enough for the amateurs to get in bad but it now comes out that Frienk was not given permission to play by Brooks. Instead he played sick yesterday, and said the doctor had ordered him to lay off for a week, and the news of his pitching at Gleichen was somewhat a shock to the club, which is in a bad way for players right now. Sam Savage is away but Secretary Dahners stated that Frienk would be suspended until again in shape and also fined probably $100. (The Leader, July 31, 1913)
(July 29) At the opening day of the Gleichen tournament Tuesday, Strathmore topped Brooks 5-2 as Percy Smith tossed a three-hitter for the winners and helped at the plate with two hits, one for two bases. First baseman Baxter also collected a pair of safeties for Strathmore. Evans was the big news for Brooks with a home run, the longest blast ever at the local diamond, the ball sailing over the race track.
Smith (W) and Ward
Dowell (L) and Leas
In the evening game, Walter Frink struck out seventeen in tossing a seven-hitter as Langdon beat Strathmore 3-1. Catcher Rowe belted a pair of three-baggers and scored two runs for Langdon. Bride allowed just five hits in hurling for Strathmore but took the loss.
Frink (W) and Rowe
Bride (L) and Ward
(July 30) The host club, Gleichen, thrilled the home crowd Wednesday scoring six times in the first inning en route to a 25 to 2 shellacking of Cluny in a comedy of errors - 13 by the Cluny nine. Gleichen pounded out 18 hits, four by third sacker Lupton, and three by second baseman Williams. Wade, the first sacker, and pitcher Wilson each scored four times. Mace, the left fielder, Williams and Lupton each had three scores.
Johnson (L), K.Stumpf (9) and Munn
Wilson (W) and R.McArthur
The final, Wednesday evening, brought out a record-breaking crowd for a thrilling contest, clinched by Langdon with a four-run eighth inning for an 8-2 victory over Gleichen. Walter Frink again handled the mound work, fanning twelve, for Langdon and was key on offense with four hits, one of them a triple. Rowe had three more hits, a triple and two singles and scored three times.
J.McArthur (L), Wilson (5), Terrant (8) and B.McArthur
Frink (W) and Rowe
What are the odds of a pitcher breaking his throwing arm during the course of a game? Minuscule probably best describes the probability. But twice in one season. Both on Alberta diamonds? Believe it or not, this two for the price of one scenario actually took place in 1913.
(July 23) Charles Shaddick, pitcher for the Athletics in the Calgary Senior Amateur League, sustained a fracture of the arm on the second pitch he made in a relief role against the Y.M.C.A. nine. As Shaddick delivered the ball, an eerie snapping sound reverberated throughout the diamond, the ball itself flying into the crowd after striking the ground with great force as the hurler crumpled to the ground in pain.
Boyce, Shaddick, xxx and xxx
xxx and xxx
(September 1) A Labor Day finale to the baseball season saw hosting High River defeat Blackie 13 to 9. Starting pitcher Worthington of the Blackie nine was in the act of delivering the ball in the second inning when a distinct snap was heard and his arm dropped to his side. Suffering a broken arm, he had to be taken to the hospital.
Worthington, Rogers (2) and Lipsett
Bourque (W), Stitt (7) and Brown
(December 18) Baseball in December? Yes. In 1913 in Wetaskiwin. A large crowd was reported to be in attendance as the Bankers and Hotelmen fought to a 3-3 draw in a four-inning contest. Patterson for the Bankers and Hibbs for the Hotelmen handled the pitching duties.
Patterson and MacEachern
Hibbs and Lundin
SOUTHERN ALBERTA BASEBALL LEAGUE
An oddly-operated loop to say the least, this three-team circuit didn’t appear to have any restrictions concerning player movement from one team to another during the 1913 season. Pickups from any team in the loop seemed to be an accepted part of the culture.
Signs that all was not well within the league began to surface after the Lethbridge club failed to show up for a scheduled mid-June league game in Macleod. Exhibition games became more prevalent and began to take precedence over league commitments as the end of June approached; then too, rain interfered with the scheduling during this time frame. However, as the calendar ushered in the month of July, things appeared to be getting back to normal and the schedule resumed.
Then, Lethbridge’s import playing-manager, Wallace Wheeler, suddenly disappeared, apparently leaving town with creditors on his trail. Wheeler, who is shown by Baseball Reference as a minor-league pitcher with the Fort Worth Panthers of the 1907 class C Texas League, also absconded with a tidy sum of cash derived from the team’s gate receipts. Interestingly, Wheeler would one year later, in 1914, catch on for a second term (his first being the 1910 and 1911 campaigns) with the Western Canada Baseball League as a spare umpire, his moral and ethical deficiencies not appearing to be a factor in his hiring as an arbiter. Another import, Chicagoan Paul Seidenbecher took over the managerial reins of the Lethbridge nine but, by then, the club had begun to stumble badly after coming out of the gate strongly.
The frequency of games within the circuit began to fizzle out from the middle of July on and came to a complete halt, other than for the occasional exhibition tilt in early August, after a July 25 contest without any notice of official closure.
GAME RESULTS
(May 17) Lethbridge 9 - Warner 5
Wheeler (W) and Wray
Berg (L) and Luker
HR – Wagner (Warner)
Tommy Evans (Lethbridge) – 3 singles
Wallace Wheeler (Lethbridge) – 15 strikeouts
(May 21) Macleod 3 - Lethbridge 3 (called after 8 innings – darkness)
Murphy and Davies
Wheeler and Wray
“Spud” Murphy (Macleod) – 3-hitter with 16 strikeouts
(May 23) Macleod 11 - Warner 7
Englehart, Scott (L) (7) and Luker
Powell, Murphy (W) (7) and Davies
(May 24) Lethbridge 3 - Warner 0
Gorrill (L) and Kuker
J. Moore (W) and Wray
HR – Paul Seidenbecher (Lethbridge)
Josh Moore (Lethbridge) – 4-hitter with 11 strikeouts
(May 26) Lethbridge 13 - Macleod 5 (called after 8 innings – darkness)
Wheeler (W) and Wray
Wells (L) and Davies
Standings W L Pct.
Lethbridge 3 0 1.000
Macleod 1 1 .500
Warner 0 3 .000
(June 1) Warner 15 - Macleod 8
Dapper (L) and Davies
Berg (W) and Luker
HR – Berg (Warner)
Duckett (Warner) – 4 hits
Johnson (Macleod) – 4 hits
(June 4) Macleod 9 - Lethbridge 7
Peters (W) and McCarter
J. Moore (L), Wheeler (7) and Wray
HR – Latimer (Macleod), Evans (Lethbridge), Campbell (Lethbridge)
Peters (Macleod) – 12 strikeouts
(June 5) Macleod 9 - Warner 4
Gorrill (L) and Luker
Murphy (W) and McCarter
“Spud” Murphy (Macleod) – 11 strikeouts
(June 6) Lethbridge 13 - Warner 6
Berg (L) and Luker
Wheeler (W) and Wray, Davies (4)
Wallace Wheeler (Lethbridge) – 15 strikeouts
Berg (Warner) – 11 strikeouts
Paul Seidenbecher (Lethbridge) – 5 hits
Dixon (Warner) and George Moore (Lethbridge) – 3 hits each
(June 9) Lethbridge 7 - Macleod 5
Wheeler (W) and Wray
Peters (L) and McCarter
George Moore (Lethbridge) – HR and two-run double
Standings W L Pct.
Lethbridge 5 1 .833
Macleod 3 3 .500
Warner 1 5 .167
(June 11) Macleod 22 - Lethbridge 5
Campbell, Wilson (L) (5), Davies (6) and Wray, Davies (5), Wilson (6), Green (6)
Murphy (W) and McCarter
Field (Macleod) – triple, double and single
Latimer (Macleod) – 3 singles
(June 13) Macleod 12 - Lethbridge 4
Peters (W) and McCarter
Noble (L), Wheeler (8) and Luker
Wells (Macleod) 3 hits including a triple
Peters (Macleod) – 9 strikeouts
Standings W L Pct.
Lethbridge 5 3 .625
Macleod 5 3 .625
Warner 1 5 .167
(June 14) Warner 9 - Macleod 6
Murphy (L), Peters (5) and McCarter
Gorrill (W) and Luker
(July 1) Warner 9 - Lethbridge 8
George (W) and Luker
Hutchison (L) and Davies
Hutchison (Lethbridge) – 10 strikeouts
(July 2) Warner 8 - Macleod 6
Berg (W), Englehart (7) and Luker
Murphy (L) and McCarter
Berg (Warner) – 14 strikeouts
(July 4) Macleod 5 - Warner 5
Batteries and game highlights not printed
(July 9) Macleod 15 - Lethbridge 6
Murphy (W) and McLaren
Gorrill (L), Hutchison (7) and Wray
(July 12) Warner 13 - Lethbridge 3
Walsh (L) and Wray
George (W) and Luker
Berg (Warner) – 3 hits
Standings W L Pct.
Macleod 6 5 .545
Warner 5 5 .500
Lethbridge 5 6 .455
(July 15) Macleod 18 - Warner 7
Berg (L) and Luker, Gregg
Peters (W) and McCarter
Wells (Macleod) – 4 hits
Peters (Macleod) – home run, triple and single
Danny McCarter (Macleod) – home run and 2 singles
Campbell (Macleod) – 2 doubles and a triple
(July 16) Lethbridge 12 - Warner 7
George (L) and Luker
Meyers (W) and Wray
Wray (Lethbridge) – double and 2 singles
(July 25) Macleod 8 - Lethbridge 4 (called after 6 innings – rain)
Murphy (W) and McCarter
Noble (L) and Wray
Standings W L Pct.
Macleod 8 5 .615
Lethbridge 6 7 .462
Warner 5 7 .417
LETHBRIDGE SENIOR CITY LEAGUE
Players from this circuit made up a substantial portion of the three teams in the Southern Alberta League. The Lethbridge City League also allowed players to suit up for more than one team.
The I.H.C. (International Harvester Corporation) team captured the 1913 championship.