The Portland Webfoots were a Minor League Baseball

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 the Pacific Northwest League

Pacific Northwest League

The Pacific Northwest League was a professional Minor League Baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest. It was the first professional baseball league ever in the region.-Founding:...

. They were based 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...

 and were active for only two years, and . They played at Vaughn Street Ballpark

Vaughn Street Park

Vaughn Street Park was a baseball park located in Portland, Oregon. It opened in 1901, and was torn down in 1956. Its primary tenant was the Portland Beavers Pacific Coast League team...

.

When the Pacific Northwest League and the California League

California League

The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

 merged to create 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...

 in the Webfoots disbanded and the Portland Browns were created.

History

In the Webfoots first year of competition, it was reported that they had trouble keeping attendance up at their home field. This began a debate over whether or not Portland should hold a team in the league expansion with the California League

California League

The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

 into the Pacific Coast League, something that the Webfoots President Jack Marshal opposed. Some newspapers claimed that Marshal's opposition was due in large part to his personal dislike of Pacific Northwest League President William Henry Lucas.

This led to a long debate over the inclusion of the Portland team in the Pacific Coast League. Both the Portland and Seattle clubs first wanted to create a rival league to the Pacific Coast League. The Portland team was accepted into the Pacific Coast League but not before a lawsuit filed by the Portland team against the Pacific Northwest League that said the league harassed the Portland team into throwing the league pennant to the Butte, Montana

Butte, Montana

Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...

 baseball team.

Year-by-year record

Year	League	Affiliation	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs
1901	Pacific Northwest League	none	73-35	1st	John Grim John Grim John Helm Grim was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. Born in Lebanon, Kentucky, he played 11 seasons in the majors, mainly as a catcher.-Career:...	League Champions
1902	Pacific Northwest League	none	58-62	4th	Sam Vigneux	none

See also

• History of baseball in Portland, Oregon
  History of baseball in Portland, Oregon
  Portland, Oregon has been home to many baseball teams, dating back to the 19th century.-Early Portland Baseball: 1866–1883:The first organized baseball team on record in the Pacific Northwest was founded in Portland, when on May 28, 1866, the Pioneer Baseball Club of East Portland was created...
  
  
• Portland Webfeet
  Portland Webfeet
  The Portland Webfeet were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest League. They were located in Portland, Oregon and played at Columbia Park. They were active from to ....
  
  
• 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...
  
  

External links

• Team history at Baseball Reference