By Cory Fallon
The Battered Bastards of Baseball is a documentary on Netflix that details the origins and history of the Portland Mavericks baseball team. A team that put family and fun first, the Mavericks were an innovator in the modern Minor Leagues we know and love today. It tells the story of how a Hollywood icon created one of the most famous, or infamous, professional baseball teams in the history of the game.
The Mavericks were founded by Bing Russell, an established and respected actor who most notably played the sheriff on Bonanza for over a decade. Bing found his love of baseball as a kid when he would hang around the Yankees spring training site in Florida, becoming close with Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Lefty Gomez. Russell would launch a minor league career of his own, which was quickly derailed due to injuries. Shortly after he went west for Hollywood.
After Bonanza was canceled, Russell enjoyed following his son Kurt, yup that Kurt Russell, and his minor league career before buying an independent franchise in Portland Oregon in 1973, calling themselves the Mavericks.
Kurt Russell in a Portland Mavericks jersey, his father Bing owned the team. pic.twitter.com/A6JmUHaH3p
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) August 23, 2021
With no players, Russell put an ad out in the Sporting News announcing open tryouts, which drew a crowd of a few hundred eager ballplayers looking to play for this new team. They encouraged guys to rock mullets and Fu Manchu’s while drinking beer and chewing tobacco to be supporting the Maverick red.
While they had a collection of random dudes, they had a few notable people play for them. Kurt Russell suited up for the Mavericks, as well as MLB All-Star Jim Bouton and a few other Major Leaguers. The inventors of Big League Chew met during their time in Portland, coming up with the idea in the bullpen, and they eventually got Bouton involved.
Big League Chew Bubble Gum from your childhood is getting a makeover — the bubble gum maker is putting a woman on its packaging for the first time ever. Big League Chew Bubble Gum was founded by Rob “Nellie” Nelson, former pitcher of the Portland Mavericks in 1980. pic.twitter.com/iVkZXRmiNP
— #Re2pect ✊ (@iLetsPlayBall) October 13, 2018
The Mavericks threw a no-hitter in their first-ever game and routinely set Minor League attendance records despite not being affiliated with any Major League organization.
The Mavericks weren’t afraid to try anything to get fans into the ballpark, openly mocking their opponents with brooms if they were going to sweep them and encouraging fans to cheer on the team. They had promotions unheard of at the time, which has now become commonplace across Minor League Baseball, with roots that can be traced back to Portland.
If you’ve heard of the Savannah Bananas, that’s essentially what the Mavericks were. They didn’t follow the rules and tooted their own horn. They were ruthlessly ripped apart by the media and other organizations alike, but despite being the outcasts, the Mavericks kept on winning.
In their five years of existence, they won four division championships and had a winning record in every season they played. Russell and the Mavericks took home Executives of the Year during their inaugural season, really sticking it to whoever doubted them.
Overall, this is a fantastic and insightful documentary about the good old days of baseball and one of the most entertaining ballclubs ever assembled. I highly recommend this documentary to any fan of not only baseball, but those who love an underdog story about a group of misfits who banded together when otherwise thought of as outcasts.
Photo Credit: Suzanne Tucker
