Portland Mavericks
Encyclopedia
The Portland Mavericks were a minor league baseball
team in Portland, Oregon
, United States
. They began play in the Class A Northwest League
in 1973 after the Portland Beavers
of the Pacific Coast League
moved to Spokane, Washington
. The Mavericks were owned by ex-minor league player and television actor Bing Russell
, and operated as the league's only independent club. Russell kept a 30 man roster because he believed some players deserved to have one last season. His motto in life was one three lettered word; FUN. His son, actor Kurt Russell
, played for the club in its inaugural season (and again, though very briefly, in 1977). Longtime minor-league star Hank Robinson managed the Mavericks to a division title in 1973, their first season, and Steve "Cut" Collette managed them to a second division title in 1977, their last. When the Pacific Coast League expanded for the 1978 season, they added a new Portland team, and the Mavericks shut down (after receiving considerable compensation from the PCL). In 1977 the Mavericks attracted 125,300 fans to 33 home dates, while the 1978 Beavers had 96,395 fans and 69 home games.
The first-year Mavericks' Hollywood connection was not limited to Bing and Kurt Russell. Manager Hank Robinson was an extremely successful character actor, and players Robbie Robinson
, Jason Tatar, and Ken Medlock all have enjoyed long careers as actors as well. Perhaps the team's most successful Hollywood story is that of Maverick batboy Todd Field
, who went on to have a long career as an actor before becoming a three-time Academy Award-nominated writer and director.
Among the various castoffs who made up the Mavericks' roster was former major league pitcher Jim Bouton
, who made a comeback with the Mavericks after having been out of baseball since retiring in 1970. His landmark book Ball Four
was set mostly in Seattle, and Bouton returned to pitch at Seattle's Sick's Stadium in 1975 after a five-year absence, tossing a 2-1 complete game win over the Seattle Rainiers. After the game, he said, "I told Joe Schultz I'd pitch here again someday. I just didn't say at what level." Bouton pitched for the Mavericks again in 1977, eventually making it back to the majors with the Atlanta Braves
the following year. Bouton's greatest Maverick achievement was his collaboration with his teammate and pitching coach, Rob Nelson, to develop Big League Chew
bubble gum.
The Mavericks played home games at what was then known as Civic Stadium. The Mavericks disbanded when Portland returned to the Pacific Coast League in 1978, but their success helped inspire the establishment of several independent minor leagues beginning in the 1990s, including the Northern League.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They began play in the Class A Northwest League
Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
in 1973 after the Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
moved to Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. The Mavericks were owned by ex-minor league player and television actor Bing Russell
Bing Russell
Bing Russell was an American actor and baseball club owner, and was the father of Golden Globe-nominated actor Kurt Russell.-Personal life:...
, and operated as the league's only independent club. Russell kept a 30 man roster because he believed some players deserved to have one last season. His motto in life was one three lettered word; FUN. His son, actor Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
, played for the club in its inaugural season (and again, though very briefly, in 1977). Longtime minor-league star Hank Robinson managed the Mavericks to a division title in 1973, their first season, and Steve "Cut" Collette managed them to a second division title in 1977, their last. When the Pacific Coast League expanded for the 1978 season, they added a new Portland team, and the Mavericks shut down (after receiving considerable compensation from the PCL). In 1977 the Mavericks attracted 125,300 fans to 33 home dates, while the 1978 Beavers had 96,395 fans and 69 home games.
The first-year Mavericks' Hollywood connection was not limited to Bing and Kurt Russell. Manager Hank Robinson was an extremely successful character actor, and players Robbie Robinson
Robbie Robinson
Robbie Robinson may refer to:*Robbie Robinson , DJ on Radio Caroline and Radio Veronica during the 1960s and 1970s*Robbie Robinson Robbie Robinson may refer to:*Robbie Robinson (DJ), DJ on Radio Caroline and Radio Veronica during the 1960s and 1970s*Robbie Robinson (footballer) Robbie Robinson may...
, Jason Tatar, and Ken Medlock all have enjoyed long careers as actors as well. Perhaps the team's most successful Hollywood story is that of Maverick batboy Todd Field
Todd Field
William Todd Field, known professionally as Todd Field is an American actor and writer/director. He has received three Academy Award nominations.-Background and personal life:...
, who went on to have a long career as an actor before becoming a three-time Academy Award-nominated writer and director.
Among the various castoffs who made up the Mavericks' roster was former major league pitcher Jim Bouton
Jim Bouton
James Alan "Jim" Bouton is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. He is also the author of the controversial baseball book Ball Four, which was a combination diary of his season and memoir of his years with the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, and Houston Astros.-Amateur and college...
, who made a comeback with the Mavericks after having been out of baseball since retiring in 1970. His landmark book Ball Four
Ball Four
Ball Four is a book written by former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bouton in . The book is a diary of Bouton's 1969 season, spent with the Seattle Pilots and then the Houston Astros following a late-season trade. In it Bouton also recounts much of his baseball career, spent mainly with the...
was set mostly in Seattle, and Bouton returned to pitch at Seattle's Sick's Stadium in 1975 after a five-year absence, tossing a 2-1 complete game win over the Seattle Rainiers. After the game, he said, "I told Joe Schultz I'd pitch here again someday. I just didn't say at what level." Bouton pitched for the Mavericks again in 1977, eventually making it back to the majors with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
the following year. Bouton's greatest Maverick achievement was his collaboration with his teammate and pitching coach, Rob Nelson, to develop Big League Chew
Big League Chew
Big League Chew is a brand of bubble gum that is shredded and packaged in an aluminum foil pouch. It was created by Portland Mavericks left-handed pitcher Rob Nelson, and pitched to the Wrigley Company by former New York Yankee All-Star Jim Bouton, a Maverick teammate of Nelson's, as a fun...
bubble gum.
The Mavericks played home games at what was then known as Civic Stadium. The Mavericks disbanded when Portland returned to the Pacific Coast League in 1978, but their success helped inspire the establishment of several independent minor leagues beginning in the 1990s, including the Northern League.
Further reading
- Jim Bouton: "Buses, Beer and Emboldened Batboys", in Mark Armour, ed.: Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest, Society for American Baseball ResearchSociety for American Baseball ResearchThe Society for American Baseball Research was established in Cooperstown, New York, in August 1971 by Bob Davids of Washington, D.C. The Society's mission is to foster the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball, while generating interest in the game...
, Cleveland, OH, 2006, pp. 114-115.