Above left - Leo Anderson (right) chairman of the Courtenay Labour Day Tournament, presents the Corson Cup to Ted Parkins, captain of the Victoria Eagles following the team's victory Monday to win the tourney. Harry Godley, chairman of the Fair Board, is shown in the centre. Eagles were unbeaten in three games.
Above right - 1949 crest of the Nelson, BC, Tigers.
Left - Harry "Stiffy" Bray, veteran player with the Oliver Elks and OBCs.
Below left - Looking back, the cavalier attitude about concussions is shocking. The photo carried the caption "Year's First Beaning".
Tigers' shortstop Gordon McLellan was hit on the side of the head by VAC hurler Cliff Keeley. He was taken to hospital for observation. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion.
Below right - A close play at first base as Barry Robertshaw, the fleet VAC outfielder, just failed to beat an infield tap. Robertshaw rolled to Romo Gallo, who threw to Billy Adshead, to nip the runner.
Below, Shig Kiyono of New Denver taking a cut. It's believed the photo is from 1948 or 1949. Note how close the fans are to the action ! Photo courtesy of the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre.
Below, a pair of stalwarts for the New Denver team. Noticed the photos on the BC Regional Digitized History site which had no information on the names of the players.
Showed it to my neighbour, Tad Kiyono, son of Shig Kiyono (above) and he instantly responded "Wahoo" for the first one (at left). Then he looked up the full name, Chris "Wahoo" Suryama, from the 1949 New Denver squad. Then knew pitcher Tommy Pearson right away. A right-hander, Pearson went on to play for ten years with BC Interior squad.
Below - Tony Robello, scout for the St. Louis Browns, held a tryout camp in Trail, BC, in 1949 Robello would later scout for the Cincinnati Reds and make some highly significant signings.
" ... As a supervisor in the Big Red Machine’s scouting department Tony Robello signed a Hall of Famer who many rate as the greatest player at his position in history, catcher Johnny Bench. He signed Don Larsen, who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history. Tony signed or approved other signings that helped build the Reds clubs of the 1970s that made the playoffs six times, with four National League pennants and two world championships. His direct signings for those clubs included Gary Nolan, Pat Zachry, Darrell Chaney, Milt Wilcox, Joel Youngblood, and Frank Duffy. Duffy was included with Vern Geishert in the trade that brought George Foster to the Reds. Other lines in Robello’s résumé could include major-league time, minor-league manager, two holes-in-one in a single round of golf, and hitting 58 home runs in a minor-league season." (Jim Sandoval for SABR)
Lou DeRosa, who send along the pholtos, thinks that might be local lad Ray Demore in the first one, third from the right. Images from the Trail Museum & Archives.
