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2 Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest Front cover: Tony Conigliaro 'The great things that took place waits in the on­ deck circle as on all those green fields, through Carl Yastrzemski swings at a Gene Brabender pitch all those long-ago summers' during an afternoon Seattle magine spending a summer's day in brand-new . Pilots/Boston Sick's Stadium in 1938 watching Fred Hutchinson Red Sox game on pitch for the Rainiers, or seeing Stan Coveleski July 14, 1969, at throw spitballs at Vaughn Street Park in 1915, or Sick's Stadium. sitting in Cheney Stadium in 1960 while the young Juan Marichal kicked his leg to the heavens. Back cover: Posing in 1913 at In this book, you will revisit all of the classic ballparks, Athletic Park in see the great heroes return to the field and meet the men During aJune 19, 1949, game at Sick's Stadium, Seattle Vancouver, B.C., who organized and ran these teams - John Barnes, W.H. Rainiers infielder Tony York barely misses beating the are All Stars for Lucas, Dan Dugdale, W.W. and W.H. McCredie, Bob throw to San Francisco Seals first baseman Mickey Rocco. the Northwestern Brown and Emil Sick. And you will meet veterans such as League such as . Eddie Basinski and Edo Vanni, still telling stories 60 years (back row, first, after they lived them. wrote many of the photo captions. Ken Eskenazi also lent invaluable design expertise for the cover. second, third, The major leagues arrived in Seattle briefly in 1969, and sixth and eighth more permanently in 1977, but organized baseball has been Finally, I thank the writers whose words grace these from l~ft) William played in the area for more than a century. If you lived in pages. For many of them, the work on this book did not "Wheezer" Dell, Seattle in 1969, you watched your city cash in 80 thrilling begin 18 months ago, as it did for me. It began years or future Pacific years for amajor-league team, and then saw it disappear in decades ago, when these stories first came to life for them. Coast League an instant, replaced by ... no baseball at all. The story of the We all can be grateful that they are sharing their knowledge mainstay J.H. Pilots, depicted on our cover, is best remembered today with the rest of us. "Truck" Hannah, because of Jim Bouton's remarkable Ball Four. Both the You, dear reader, are in for atreat. '?~ four-time minor Pilots and his book are given their due here, as are the 2001 league batting Mark Armour Mariners, but much of this book's story will be new to May 2006 champ Harry almost all of you. I hope it provides you with an Jack Meek, appreciation for the great things that took place on all those Tacoma Tigers green fields, through all those long-ago summers. star hurler Izzy Hoffman, future When asked to edit this book, I was wise enough to Chicago White understand that my greatest qualification was my Sox infielder friendships with Dave Eskenazi and Eric Sallee. While I (and Black grew up in New England and have lived in the idyllic Soxer) Fred Pacific Northwest for a mere dozen years, Dave and Eric McMullin, and have been immersed in this story their entire lives. They (front row, third have devoted much of that time to researching and learning from left) Tacoma about the men, the leagues, and the ballparks featured in Tigers slugger Cy these pages. The three of us outlined the contents of the Neighbors. book, identified the writers we wanted to tell the individual stories, and quickly attained their enthusiastic support. Title page.' For this ultra-rare Herein lies a wonderful and largely untold story, brought to Obak cigarette­ life by Dave's magnificent collection of photography and card premium ephemera. It was our intention from the beginning that the ("ticket" inset), pictures would be an equal partner to the words, and it is "Tub" Spencer, due entirely to Dave Eskenazi that we were able to do this. Northwestern Clay Eals wrote the fine chapter on Fred Hutchinson, but League Seattle he also stepped into the project late to design the book and Giants catcher, worked with Dave on the placement of every image. Clay's poses in 1911. He own love and knowledge of the subject matter comes also played for through on every page. Jim Price, who helped form the PCL Seattle SABR's Northwest chapter 25 years ago, might be the Indians in 1921­ region's premier historian. He provided four chapters here 22. (he could have written several more if we'd asked him) and Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest 3 What's inside A Origins of region's pro baseball, magnate John Barnes Pro baseball in Tacoma Page 4 By JIM PRICE 4 By JIM PRICE .. The PCl invades the Northwest Pitcher Juan Marichal By ROB NEYER 12 By ANTHONY SALAZAR 82 ~t'r~ I~~~t tn h~A~ t~n~¥ln~~Mh ~Wt~;ff~~~ a fellows~ ~a¥~a~~;y ~~~tJ~ ~~ ~Jly~,$ ~"~~ v~j~~ l ~~tJi)~~A~ ~e Magnate Dan Dugdale Pro baseball in Spokane By JEFF OBERMEYER 16 By JIM PRICE ~ 84 ft ~ ~ ~ i%ft . ~ M ["'-r~~~ r. pu~r.'t'%~w~~[ti~ ~.~ ~ \i r~ ~~wAr big ~.&'1j ~i.;I~ ~ ~ ~~~4'~ ~J~~ ~ ~~~ i)Y 1 ~ i2 ~~~~~ Page 34 Player/manager Walter McCredie The deadly Spokane Indians bus accident By BRIAN CAMPF 22 By JIM PRICE 92 R~a~H~if"~ ~nl~ Ur11l t~ prl ~~ ~arnA~t (I~u~ 'I of life' w~-#~ W~~ ~ ~\#~\# H~ &.rt ~V ~ tdWM ~ %1&4~ ~l~~& ~~'r1 '%U Pro baseball in Vancouver, B.C., magnate Bob Brown Pro baseball in Portland By TOM HAWTHORN 28 By PAUL ANDRESEN and KIP CARLSON .. ~T~?:: 'i< "/. ~ ~lli' @ ~ "j@ w1~\ql ,@~~~ ~&" ~ &~~UM'i<~ ~$. ~ ",...H ~ r~~ r~~~~.$"'I#~ ~~rd'r1~rr~jjm~%?~~~%-.$~ ®Wfi~ n~tf~WJ~~~# ~ P\!~f~W,*4'~ ri~rl Spitballing e Ii! till%? ®1!iM.'W'ti Pitcher Stan Coveleski and contemporaries The vivid memories of eight PCl players Page 48 By STEVE STEINBERG 34 By LARRY STONE 99 Rocky vagabond 'tribes an' Jimmy Claxton, first African American in the PCl The story behind Ball Four By TOM HAWTHORN 44 By MARKARMOUR 108 Page 63 Barnstorming Brooklyn vs. Everett The Portland Mavericks . By DAVE LARSON 46 By JIM BOUTON .. ~u~t h~f>~rr~W1t' An ~yh~l~w?jt;~n h;f~ I~~~~~~ ~1®j~t was. j lM~~ a·.~b~J",~~~~ ~~ ~ ~fftj ~h~~ ~.~~~ ~~ fJ~~ ~~a.~~~4' ~~~,$~ '*-# *#' ~ Pitcher/manager Fred Hutchinson The 1969 Seattle Pilots By CLAY EALS 48 By NICK ROUSSO .. Page 114 ffli"k~~ ~htJ. ~ ff<%!!'~ A ~Jr,,\~ug¥$ [u~ ~ ~rKe~i The Seattle Rainiers, magnate Emil Sick The 2001 Seattle Mariners By DAN RALEY 56 By DAN LEVITT 123 ~~ntn p~~.~~%1~! ~'n(~he#ra~~ ru~l~rud~ 'l"JJfi'ij;/£.U~I1$ tn~.. '~.fl' 11 1j,.#~,$t~ tr%!/;If.!>.&' ~~,I,l~~~,~ .. to'111. 111~l!., ~ . , Photos, team and league chronology for each field Region's all-time team' By DAVID ESKENAZI . Compiled by ERIC SALLEE .. Page 116 4 Check: Baseball in the Northwest Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest 5 time. By its second year, it included the twin cities of (Opposite page) Minneapolis and St. Paul, along with Milwaukee. The John Barnes, an league struggled to survive the decade, but it made baseball early promoter of Atale of men out of some fellows whose skills were more inclined professional to business than bats, balls and gloves. Some of them baseball in the became friends. John Sloane Barnes, an accomplished Midwest, athlete, was in charge of the St. Paul franchise. William H. operated the St. four cities Lucas, heir to aWisconsin lumber business, managed Paul franchise in Duluth (Minnesota) to the 1886 championship, before the late 1880s. In moving on to the Central Interstate League, where he won a 1890, he Pro baseball in the Northwest pennant at Davenport, Iowa. W.E. (Billy) Rockwell played organized the at Omaha and Davenport, before turning to the newspaper Pacific business. George A. Van Derbeck, a contentious man who Northwest had its origins in Seattle, may have been involved with Lucas at Duluth, was a land League, managed development company official in Toledo, Ohio, another Spokanes Portland, Tacoma, and Spokane well-established baseball town. championship team and, after By the fall of 1887, the Pacific Northwest's newspapers By JIM PRICE decades as a carried stories about the possibility of aprofessional league globetrotting ith the Lewis & Clark bicentennial having coming to the region. Although nothing came of it, by.then advocate of just passed, what took place following a few pro players had joined the migration, and each CIty . physical fitness, their historic journey is well-known. had one or more of them playing.for pay on the best team In died in Seattle in Horses by the thousands brought settlers the area's best league. 1929. to the Pacific Northwest, pulling wagons, In its Sunday edition of March 2, 1890, the Spokane towing stagecoaches, or hauling humans on their backs. Falls Review reported that Van Derbeck and bicycle racing They followed the Oregon Trail, the Columbia River, the notable W.F. (Senator) Morgan were talking up a league in Mullan Road, and· the upper regions mapped by the Portland, and bragging on Barnes' promotional prowess, adventurolls David Thompson. They flowed into what we whom they called "one of the best hustlers in America in recognize as Washington and Oregon, western Montana, ball games and athletic sports generally." much ofIdaho, and in Canada, the southern parts of British Colulllbraand Alberta, depositing people everywhere they Barnes, who later revealed that he had been dispatched went.

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