WINNIPEG WESLEY SENIOR AMATEUR BASEBALL LEAGUE
TEAMS
Arenas
Dokey-Tigers
Elks
Norwood
FIRST-HALF SERIES
(May 14) Under ideal weather conditions, a crowd of 2,000 witnessed the opening game of the 1932 season in which the Dokey-Tigers plated a deuce in the bottom-of-the-ninth canto to take an 8 to 7 walkoff win from the Arenas. Shortpatcher Charlie Hitchins drove in the winning tally with a single off losing hurler Charlie Ridgedale. Both teams had ten base knocks with outfielder Jack Menzies of the victors lacing a triple and two singles.
Foster, Ridgedale (L) (9) and Bradley
McCallum (W) and Kokran
(May 17) The Arenas overcame a five-run deficit in the fifth frame to eke out a 6 – 5 decision over the Elks in the season opener for the vanquished nine. Romeo Rivers stroked four safeties, including a double, and swiped a pair of bases for the Antlered Tribe. Teammate Norm Molloy and Jimmy Bradley of the Arenas both had three singles.
Lamoureux (L) and Turk
Woolner (W) and Moberley
(May 18) Playing the first game under floodlights at Wesley Park, the Dokey-Tigers spanked Norwood 19 – 8 in a free-scoring match. Clare Livesley led the winners’ 15-hit attack with a triad of one-baggers. Ed “Casey” Jones followed with a triple and single.
Avery (W) and Kokran
Found (L), Stack (7) and Stobie
(June 22) The Norwood nine earned the right to meet the Dokey-Tigers in the first-half titular playoffs when they defeated the pace-setters 11 – 7 in the last skirmish of the opening half. The Boys from across the River banged out 13 base knocks as Harvey Kendall sliced three singles in support of winning heaver Orville “Lefty” Caldwell.
Caldwell (W) and Stobie
Crowe (L) and Patton
FINAL FIRST-HALF STANDINGS
Dokey-Tigers 7 – 2 .778
Norwood 5 – 4 .556
Elks 4 – 5 .444
Arenas 2 – 7 .222
FIRST-HALF PLAYOFFS (best-of-three series)
(June 26) The Dokey-Tigers annexed the first-half crown by defeating Norwood twice by scores of 10 – 2 and 15 – 10. In the matinee fracas, Sammy McCallum limited the Suburbanites to ten hits in copping the hillock verdict. Pat O’Brien and Jim Grant of the winning Bengals both lit up a brace of Norwood chuckers for four base raps with a two-bagger included in O’Brien’s swats.
Christenson (L), Wynant (7) and Stobie
McCallum (W) and Kokran
In the clincher, the Striped Cats accumulated 17 base blows as Marty Kokran clubbed a double and three one-baggers while Charlie Hitchins laced four singles. Cedric Hopper homered, doubled and singled for the losers.
Avery, McCallum (W) (6) and Kokran
Caldwell (L), Wynant (8) and Stobie
SECOND-HALF SERIES
(June 27) The second-half of the schedule got underway with the Arenas and Dokey-Tigers playing to a 7 – 7 deadlock. The Rinkmen had a 9 to 7 edge in base hits as “Flabby” McLennan led all swatsmiths with a brace of two-baggers and a single..
Hill, Crowe (8) and Kokran
Brown, Dudas (1) and Turk
(July 8) Doubleheader action at Wesley Park saw the Arenas upset the first-half winning Dokey-Tigers 2 – 1 while Norwood outlasted the Elks 7 – 6. Howie Dundas outpointed Sammy McCallum in the well-pitched opener.
McCallum (L) and Kokran
Dundas (W), Irvine (9) and Turk
In the late encounter, Norwood chucker Howie Tibbets registered 19 strikeouts in claiming the complete-game mound victory. He received stellar offensive backup from teammates “Duke” Campbell and Harvey Kendall who each contributed a double and two singles.
Brennan, Spraggett (L) (8) and MacDonald
Tibbets (W) and Walker
(August 30) Following a two-week layoff punctuated with a number of exhibition games, play within the Wesley Senior League resumed as Norwood clinched a second-half playoff berth by nosing out the Elks 6 – 5 while the Arenas put on a strong finish to clip the Dokey-Tigers 6 – 3. Norwood playing-manager Harvey Kendall led his charges offensively in the lid-lifter by stinging the horsehide for a round-tripper and a brace of singles.
Brennan (L) and MacDonald
Found (W) and Stobie
Greig Warren’s two-run double in the sixth spasm was the deciding factor in the second scuffle.
Nichols (L), Jackson (7) and Kokran
Ridgedale (W) and Turk
(September 3) Boosted by a protest win over Norwood, the Elks secured the final spot in the second-half Wesley League playoffs by securing two Saturday victories, a 7 to 4 conquest of the Arenas followed by a narrow 7 – 6 squeaker over the Dokey-Tigers. Albert Lamoureux successfully scattered eight hits in taking the knoll verdict against the Arenas in the first joust. Gord Caslake, with a triple and two doubles, led the batting assault of the winning nine.
Irvine (L), Ridgedale (7) and Turk
Lamoureux (W) and MacDonald
Plating a three-spot in the last-of-the-seventh round lifted the Purple and White to the victory against a weakened Bengal Brigade, who used five juniors, in the second fray of the day.
Jackson, Nicholls (L) (7) and Kokran
Brennan (W) and MacDonald
FINAL SECOND-HALF STANDINGS
Norwood 9 – 6 .600
Elks 8 – 7 .533
Arenas 7 – 8 .487
Dokey-Tigers 6 – 9 .400
SECOND-HALF PLAYOFFS (best-of-three series)
(September 5) Norwood and the Elks broke even in the first two clashes of the second-half playoffs, the Suburbanites prevailing 3 to 1 in the curtain-raiser while the Clubmen pounded their way to a 13 – 6 triumph in the follow-up fixture.
The matinee issue was a real battle all the way as flingers “Lefty” Caldwell of Norwood and the Antlered Tribe’s Albert Lamoureux battled tooth-and-nail before Caldwell emerged victorious when pinch-hitter Dick Marinelli broke a 1 – 1 deadlock with a two-out, two-run single in the top-of-the-ninth canto.
Caldwell (W) and Stobie
Lamoureux (L) and MacDonald
An eight-run seventh stanza propelled the Brother Bills to the triumph in the second tilt. Romeo Rivers had the hot hand for the victors with the lumber in this encounter, hammering the spheroid for a four-bagger, a double and two singles.
Brennan (W) and MacDonald
Tibbetts, Found (L) (7) and Stobie
(September 7) The rejuvenated Elks continued their rampaging drive of late by winning their second-half playoff series with a narrow 5 – 4 decision over favored Norwood. Outhit 10 to 5, the Wapiti successfully bunched their safeties and made the most of their opportunities while winning pitcher Gord Brennan tightened up when things got tense. Sparkling defensive support from Brennan’s mates deprived the Suburbanites of needed runs. The Lodgemen tallied the winning counter in the eighth episode when Norm Molloy singled, his second safety of the contest, and came around to touch the plate following Romeo Rivers’ timely bingle to right field and losing pitcher “Lefty” Caldwell’s errant throw to the dish. Norwood second sacker Fred Tinling had a single and a double, driving in three of his team’s four tallies with the bases-loaded two-bagger.
Caldwell (L) and Stobie
Brennan (W) and MacDonald
OVERALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (best-of-seven series)
(September 9) Overcoming a 5 – 1 deficit which had accrued after six-and-a-half innings of play, the first-half champion Dokey-Tigers came on like gangbusters in the late stages of the opener of the Winnipeg Wesley Senior League finals to snatch a 6 – 5 verdict from the Cinderella Elks aggregation. The Bengals, with a 9 to 8 margin in base knocks, pushed across the winning counter with one down in the ninth canto. A clutch single by Pat O’Brien drove in winning pitcher Sammy McCallum with the deciding tally. O’Brien and catcher Marty Kokran both laced a brace of safeties for the winning Dokeys while flychaser Morley Dale paced the Horned Herd with the baton, stroking a double and one-bagger.
Lamoureux (L) and MacDonald
McCallum (W) and Kokran
(September 10) A twin-bill sweep by the defending champion Dokey-Tigers gave the Ferocious Felines a stranglehold on fulfilling their repeat aspirations in the best-of-seven final series with the Elks. The scores were 12 - 7 and 2 – 1. Despite a disastrous start in the opener, veteran Dokey hurler Bill Crowe settled into a groove and toed the rubber for both complete-game triumphs.
The lid-lifter was a wild affair which saw the first six batters of the Brother Bills all register hits and come around to score against Crowe. After three innings were in the books, the Bengals had fought back to knot the count. In the fourth and beyond, they continued their surge and kept on scoring until they had established a comfortable lead. Headed by first baseman Ed “Casey” Jones, who pounded the apple for a double and four clean singles, the D-T’s blasted a trio of Elk flingers for 19 base raps. Crowe helped his cause with a quartet of one-baggers. Romeo Rivers of the vanquished nine had the game’s only home run, a bases-empty shot in the eighth panel, to go along with a brace of singles.
Crowe (W) and Kokran
Deakin, Lamoureux (2), Brennan (L) (4) and MacDonald, Dale
Crowe held the Purple Stockings down to three hits in the second skirmish, two of which were doubles by Norm Molloy. His masterful twirling plus a spectacular twin-killing, engineered by patroller of the left garden Jimmy Grant, were the bright spots in the well-played nightcap. Grant made a long run to snare a drive off the lumber of losing moundsman Gord Brennan in the fifth chapter and, after stumbling and falling, recovered to fire a laser to the initial sack to double up Molloy. Two-baggers by Grant and Jim Patton in the eighth round broke a 1 – 1 stalemate and produced the deciding counter. Clare Livesley stroked three safe swats for the victors, one of which was a double.
Brennan (L) and MacDonald
Crowe (W) and Kokran
(September 13) With a 4 to 2 doubling of the Elks, the Dokey-Tigers methodically swept the Wesley League final series four games to none to repeat as champions of the Winnipeg circuit. The Dokeys pushed across a deuce in the ninth to break a 2 – 2 sawoff and reclaim the title. The Wapiti, outswatted 9 to 7, had plenty of chances as winning moundsman Sammy McCallum had control issues and walked nine batters but the Elk bats went silent with ducks on the pond as they stranded 14 baserunners. Losing twirler Gord Brennan ripped a double and two singles to pace all swatsmiths in the contest.
McCallum (W) and Kokran
Brennan (L) and MacDonald
(May 23) Roseland kicked off the season on the right foot when they took a pair from the Brandon Aces. On Wednesday, playing at home, Roseland won easily, 10-1 behind McMaster's steady hurling. Saturday night on the Athletic grounds, Roseland again won 9-6 with McMaster again handling the mound work. Hod Cowan topped the Aces with four hits in four at bats.