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The dream of Kenneth ‘Dinky’ Williams By Bill Miller Oct 23, 2022 12:15 AM A A Nine innings of dazzling fielding by the Grants Pass boys in early April 1913 had held the Portland Colts to a mere seven hits and one unearned run. With the score knotted at 1-1, the 10th inning opened with local fans screaming encouragement to their hometown heroes and especially to Cooper, the Grants Pass relief pitcher. But Coop wasn’t ready to go. He gave up a walk, followed by his failed double play attempt on a soft grounder to the mound. He induced the next batter to pop out. Then, a vicious single up the middle loaded the bases. There was still hope — but not for long. The second out, a force at the plate, was worthless. Baker, the hometown catcher, tried to end the inning with a fast throw to the first baseman. The ball was high, sailed over his head, and two runs scored. With the score now 3-1, a man on second and one out, the fans began to chant. It was time for one of “Dinky” Williams’ familiar home runs to tie the game. It would be his farewell gift because after the game he was leaving to play ball in Canada. Dinky cranked the second pitch 10 feet over the right field fence, and the crowd went wild. But they hadn’t won. Before the game, for an unexplained reason, the team managers had agreed that any ball batted over the right field wall would only count as a double, not a home run. Ken “Dinky” Williams, was sent back to second base, and the game was lost. Fans began calling Ken “Dinky” because the left-handed outfielder was 6 feet tall, not short, and he could whack, or dink, the ball harder than anyone else in Southern Oregon. Born in Josephine County in 1890, he began playing semiprofessional ball a few months shy of his 16th birthday. He had seen Grants Pass teammate Hub Pernoll and Medford standout Eddie Wilkinson punch their tickets to the major leagues, and he had the same dream. It seemed his time had come in August 1911, when he signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox. He was ordered to report to their western farm club in Sacramento. “It is believed,” his hometown newspaper said, “he will make the major leagues in 1912, and remain for many years to come.” Although he batted .375 and made no errors with Sacramento, by 1913 he was back in Grants Pass for a few brief games, before heading to the Canadian League as an outfielder for the Regina Red Sox team. It was the era when professional ball players had no choice of where they would play. Owners frequently sold their “property” to another team. In 1914 alone, Ken played for Regina, Spokane and Edmonton, then back with the Spokane Indians. The Edmonton Recreation Company controlled all the teams. In July 1915, the Cincinnati Nationals (the Reds) purchased Ken’s contract for $4,000. It had been a bidding war with the New York Giants and Detroit Tigers, each offering $3,000. The summer heat and humidity in Cincinnati seemed to weaken Ken a bit. His fielding was fine, but his hitting suffered. He finished the season with a .242 average, but he did well enough to get a shot at the next season. Some said he was homesick. After playing in 10 games in 1916, with only three hits and .111 average, he was cut and sold back to Spokane. There, he severely injured his knee and was sold to the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League. The 1917 season began with spring training in Honolulu and the return of Ken’s knee problem. Manager McCredie said Ken showed good fielding and batting form, but “he can’t move fast enough to get out of his own way.” It looked bleak, yet the dream was still alive and no one could predict what was coming next. Not even Dinky. See you next week. Writer Bill Miller is the author of five books, including “History Snoopin,’” a collection of his previous columns. Reach him at [email protected].