Portland, Oregon. 1977. Goodbye Mavericks. Freedom, poetry, beer and “love of the game”…
1977 and dissolution. In their final and best season, the Mavericks went 44-22. They had the best record in the league and won the South Division. Third division title in as many seasons. Portland drew 125,300 fans over 33 home dates in the regular season (an average of nearly 3,800 per game), setting a record for the highest attendance in a short season in minor league history. In short-season Class A. And in total independence!
Portland faced the Bellingham Mariners, 42-26 North Division champions, in the championship series at the end of August. A reputed member of the “Baby M’s” was teenage outfielder Dave Henderson. The first game took place in Bellingham and the home team won 6-2 in front of a meager crowd of 575 at Civic Field, while Bouton took another loss for the Mavericks. The series continued in Portland, and 4,770 fans watched the 10-1 equalizer, forcing a decisive third and final match at Civic Stadium the following Wednesday, August 31. The decisive match drew 7,805 fans, but the Mariners scored early and won 4-2 to secure the league title.
That was the last game in the history of the Portland Mavericks.
Later, MLB took an interest in Portland again when the Pacific Coast League expanded for the 1978 season, and the city regained AAA status with the Beavers.
Bing Russell managed to resell his “baby” for $206,000 (eight times the initial offer from the buyers) after going to court. Fighting to the end. Jim Bouton (1939-2019) would return to MLB until 1978 with the Braves.
Unlike the very popular “Mavs,” the PCL Beavers only drew 96,395 spectators in 69 home games, an average of less than 1,400 per game. In AAA, though…
Legacy
The success of the Mavs contributed to inspiring the creation of several independent minor league teams. In 1977, three of the six teams in the league were independent. The following year saw four independents among the eight teams. The movement culminated with the creation of several independent minor leagues starting in the 1990s. There is a documentary about the team, “The Battered Bastards of Baseball.” It was the first to feature The Portland Mavericks. So if you’re feeling like it, if you appreciate beer bellies, mustaches and 1970s uniforms, if you want to see Bing Russell in a rage throwing beer against the walls, don’t hesitate! Some veterans, tears in their eyes, will explain to you how this era was filled with a vibe that only youth, freedom, the will to fight and the love of the game can generate. From the star pitcher, through the spectators of all generations, to the “bat boy”… It took a special and combative spirit to generate such an ambitious project, against the headwinds. Bing Russell was one of those people who create, against all odds. Untamed, he managed to gather a sum of very diverse talents on the field and around him. Nothing was too much. Neither insomnia, nor benders or monumental outbursts. The Portland Mavericks passed quickly, a “line-drive” in the constellation of global baseball. Imagine, 50 years ago! But somewhere in the distant galaxy of the short-season A championship, they made history.
Baseball is eternal. And why not the Mavericks?
Cheers to everyone at all points of the diamond!
Vincent Picard
