WIL Meeting Ahead

Eight Team WIL Next Season—Ulrich
[Vancouver News-Herald, July 17, 1945]
William P. Ulrich, progressive owner of the Spokane franchise in one of the Northwest’s war casualties, the Western International Baseball League, started the ball rolling Monday for a new and better professional loop next season.
Ulrich, who recently bought the Spokane ball park from the city for some $50,000, went on record Monday that he expected the league to function with six or eight teams next year. Salem, Tacoma and Vancouver’s Capilanos were in the league when war conditions stopped operations after the 1942 season.
COMBINE CITIES
Ulrich said he would propose at a league directors’ meeting in Seattle, Sunday, that neighboring cities jointly support teams in the new setup.
He pictured Pasco, Wash., which is now a naval air base, combining with Kennewick; Lewiston and Clarkston, Idaho, forming a club, and Yakima and Sunnyside getting together.
He also said invitations are going out to representatives from Victoria, Vancouver, Wash., Bellingham and Wenatchee.
Bob Brown, owner of the local franchise, figured it was a little early to get excited about next season, but he said he was “satisfied the league would get more applications for franchises that they would be able to accept.”
WANTS NEW NAME
One of the better class rumors circulating has George Norgan and Coley Hall running a pro club in Victoria, and Bob says an Island club would definitely be an asset to the loop. He’s also enthusiastic about Yakima and Vancouver, Wash., but as far Wenatchee, Lewiston, and the Pasco deals—well, hmmm.
One Ulrich suggestion that Brown is in favor of has to do with a new name for the league. Ulrich said he would propose that he loop take its old name, the Northwest League. Bob, who classes the old Northwest League with the present Coast League, likes that idea.
Another high class rumor has Vancouver getting a new baseball stadium next summer. Time and Emil Sick will answer that one.