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43-906: Prior to the Mavericks League, the Mavericks were an independent team based in Portland, Oregon . After the 1972 season, the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League left Portland to become the Spokane Indians . The next year, the Mavericks were created as a short-season Class A team in the Northwest League . The team operated as an independent club in Portland for five seasons, until

86-452: A 30-man roster because he believed some players deserved to have one last season. Among the various castoffs who made up the Mavericks' roster was former major league pitcher Jim Bouton , who made a comeback with the Mavericks in 1975 after having been out of baseball since retiring in 1970. Bing Russell's son, actor Kurt Russell , played for the club for a month in its inaugural season in 1973. The first-year Mavericks' Hollywood connection

129-991: A charter member of the Northwest League, the Emeralds were named in a contest, won in January by 11-year-old Bowen Blair. They won the inaugural pennant as an independent, and remained in the NWL for fourteen seasons, through 1968. The Emeralds were the first minor-league team to play in Eugene since the disbanding of the Eugene Larks, who played at Bethel Park for just two seasons, 1950 and 1951. The Emeralds played in northwest Eugene in 4,000-seat Bethel Park, at Roosevelt Boulevard and Maple Street ( 44°03′52″N 123°08′43″W  /  44.0644°N 123.1454°W  / 44.0644; -123.1454 ), later torn down for

172-475: A four-team league that would play all of its games at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Oregon . The Mavericks' first game in the new league's inaugural season is planned for on May 13, 2021. The team's success helped inspire the establishment of several independent minor teams — in the Mavericks' final season in 1977, three of the six teams in the league were independent. The following year saw four independents among

215-518: A further change, they were organized into the High-A West along with five other teams previously of the Northwest League. Eugene ended the 2021 season in first place with a 69–50 record. They then defeated the Spokane Indians , 3–1, to win the High-A West championship. In 2022, the High-A West became known as the Northwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to

258-607: A minor league territory in history — $ 206,000 — when Russell took the matter to arbitration. In contrast to the popularity of the Mavericks, the 1978 PCL Beavers drew only 96,395 fans to 69 home games, an average of under 1,400 per game. On July 29, 2014, the Portland Mavericks Baseball Club, Inc., was re-incorporated with the Secretary of the State of Oregon and is currently in good standing. The team

301-619: Is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball ). Independent leagues have flourished in northeastern states, where dense populations can often support multiple franchises . Because they are not subject to the territorial limitations imposed on affiliated minor-league teams, independent clubs can relocate as close to affiliated teams (and one another) as they choose to. For example,

344-673: Is in development with the Pacific Coast League along with other teams to restart the team in 2022 in Portland, Oregon. In 2020, as part of MiLB's realignment, the San Francisco Giants ' ended their 23-year Minor League Baseball (MiLB) affiliation with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes . After Volcanoes ownership bought the rights to the Mavericks and revived the team to create the Mavericks Independent Baseball League in 2021,

387-464: The 1966 MLB draft , future hall of famer Reggie Jackson played his first professional games at Bethel Park, as a 20-year-old center fielder, following his sophomore season at Arizona State . Hitless in the opener, the next game he got his first pro hit, a single in the first, and later a home run to right field in the ninth. He was with the Broncs for less than two weeks, then went to Modesto in

430-848: The California League . In the 1969 season, the Emeralds were promoted to AAA status in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the primary affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies . The Ems returned to the Northwest League five years later when the PCL moved the AAA team to Sacramento for the 1974 season, while the Phillies moved their AAA farm team to the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League . Eugene

473-765: The Carolina League and the Quebec -based Provincial League . The Carolina League, based in the North Carolina Piedmont region, gained a reputation as a notorious "outlaw league" during its existence from 1936 to 1938. The Provincial League fielded six teams across Quebec and was independent from 1948 to 1949. Similarly to early 20th-century independent leagues, it joined the National Association in 1950, playing for six more years. Independent leagues saw new growth after 1992, after

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516-412: The Spokane Indians . The Mavericks operated as an independent club in Portland for five seasons, until the return of the PCL in 1978, and played home games on artificial turf at Civic Stadium in Portland. The Mavericks were owned by ex-minor league player and television actor Bing Russell , and were initially the league's only independent club. As owner, Russell kept all corporate sponsorship outside

559-522: The "Baby M's" was teenage outfielder Dave Henderson . The first game was in Bellingham and the home team won 6–2 before a paltry crowd of 575 at Civic Field , as Bouton again took the loss for the Mavericks. The series shifted to Portland, and 4,770 saw the Mavericks tie the series with eight runs in the fourth and cruised to a 10–1 win to force a third and final game in Portland the next night, Wednesday, August 31. The deciding game drew 7,805 fans, but

602-487: The 2021 reorganization. In 2019, the Emeralds unveiled their "Monarcas de Eugene" on-field identity as part of minor league baseball's "Copa de Diversion." The Emeralds began the process of looking for a new stadium to compete in. Due to the promotion to the High-A level as well as a longer season of baseball, PK Park has no longer become an option to play in. Team officials began discussing with Lane County officials about

645-545: The 2024 season, there are seven active leagues, with four of them acting as MLB Partner Leagues . Additionally, Major League Baseball co-operatively operates the MLB Draft League , which operates as an amateur collegiate summer baseball league in the first half of each season and a professional league outside of the structure of Minor League Baseball for the remainder. Independent baseball leagues and teams exist outside of North America, though rarer. In Japan,

688-541: The Commissioner of Baseball. Independent baseball existed in the early 20th century and has become prominent again since 1993. Leagues operated mostly autonomously before 1902, when the majority joined the NAPBL. From then until 1915, a total of eight new and existing leagues remained independent. Most joined the National Association after one season of independence. Notable exceptions were the California League , which

731-608: The Japan Independent Baseball League Organization, which consists of the Shikoku Island League Plus and Baseball Challenge League , operates independently from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Japan also has a variety of independent semi-professional leagues consisting of industrial teams , where the players are regular employees of the company that own the team and are additionally paid to play baseball for

774-527: The Mariners scored early and won 4–2 to secure the league title. Not known at the time, it was the final game in Portland Mavericks' history. Subsequently, Major League Baseball regained interest in Portland; when the Pacific Coast League expanded for the 1978 season, they added a new Portland Beavers team in January. The Mavericks shut down after the PCL paid Russell the highest payout for

817-399: The Mavericks played to a 42–35 record, finishing in first place in the newly aligned North Division. Aging knuckleballer Jim Bouton pitched five games, going 4–1 with a 2.20 ERA. The Mavericks met the defending champion Eugene Emeralds (54–25) in a best-of-three league championship series. The Emeralds swept, taking game one in Portland, 5–1, with Bouton taking the complete game loss for

860-639: The Mavericks, and the next game in Eugene , 1–0, in front of 5,326 at their Civic Stadium . Under new manager Jack Spring , the Mavericks finished in first place in the North Division with a 40–32 record. (Team owner Bing Russell also served briefly as the interim manager in the dugout while manager Spring was out with a skull fracture in July.) The Mavericks played the Walla Walla Padres of

903-408: The NWL title in 2018 despite finishing 31–45 (.408), last in the overall standings. They clinched a wild card playoff spot with a 17–21 (.447) record in the second half, second behind Hillsboro , who had finished first in both halves. The Emeralds proceeded to sweep both Hillsboro and Spokane in the postseason en route to the title. Dubbed the "Bad News Ems," the .408 regular season winning percentage

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946-552: The Pacific Coast League returned in 1978. The Mavericks played their home games in Civic Stadium . The Portland Mavericks were an independent professional baseball team in the northwestern United States, based in Portland, Oregon . They began to play in the short-season Class A Northwest League in 1973, after the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League left after the 1972 season and became

989-595: The San Diego Padres to the Chicago Cubs, who signed Eugene to a two-year deal through 2016. The player development contract was extended through the 2018 season on June 14, 2016. In 2016, the Emeralds were awarded two "Golden Bobbleheads" for Minor League Baseball's Best Community Promotion and Best Overall Promotion. The awards were due to their work with Children's Miracle Network and their honorary player that year, Hayden Kumle. The Emeralds won

1032-609: The South Division in the championship series in early September. The first game in Walla Walla at Borleske Stadium went to the Padres, 9–2. The second game in Portland the next afternoon was a 14–2 win for the Mavericks, which forced another game that night to decide the series, which Walla Walla won 7–6. In their final and finest season, the Mavericks played to a 44–22 record under player/manager Steven Collette. They had

1075-526: The best record in the league, and won the southern division by 22 games, their third division title in as many seasons. The Mavericks attracted 125,300 fans to 33 regular season home dates (an average of almost 3,800 per game), setting a record for the highest short-season attendance in minor league history. Portland met the Bellingham Mariners , winners of the northern division at 42–26, in the championship series in late August. A noted member of

1118-838: The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania , cannot have an affiliated team because of its proximity to the Harrisburg Senators and Reading Fightin Phils , leaving the Atlantic League to place a team—the Lancaster Barnstormers —to fill the void. Another example is the greater New York City metropolitan area, where there are many independent teams: the Long Island Ducks , Staten Island FerryHawks , New Jersey Jackals , New York Boulders , and Sussex County Miners . The Atlantic League considered as

1161-742: The company on the side. South Korea also has series of small independent leagues. Additionally, as of 2024, two Japanese teams without affiliation to NPB teams play within NPB's minor leagues (the Eastern League and the Western League ). Similarly, within KBO Futures League , the minor league of Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), there is an unaffiliated team that consists only of South Korean military personnel . A select number of Japanese independent teams also participate in

1204-529: The construction of a highway that wasn't built. In 1950 and 1951, Bethel Park was the home of the Eugene Larks of the Class D Far West League ; its outfield is present-day Lark Park. Its final game in 1968 on August 29 drew 897 fans for a one-hitter and a 7-0 Emeralds win. The NWL changed to a short season league in 1966, and that season opened in Eugene against the Lewiston Broncs . The second pick in

1247-614: The eight teams. The movement culminated in the establishment of several independent minor leagues beginning in the 1990s, including the Northern League . A documentary on the team, The Battered Bastards of Baseball , debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival . An earlier documentary, "Farewell Portland Beavers" was the first to feature The Portland Mavericks, and aired on Portland TV station KOIN-TV in 1993, produced by Portland native, Kirk Findlay and Findlay Films. Independent baseball An independent baseball league

1290-625: The feasibility of constructing a new stadium located at the Lane Events Center. On March 13, 2024, the Eugene City Council voted to place a $ 15 million bond measure on the ballot for their May 21 primary election. This would partially fund the stadium project's expected cost of over $ 104 million; however, Lane County administrators had advised a reset in planning before committing to this project. City Councilors had previously required this commitment and financial reports of

1333-520: The gates, and hired professional baseball's first female general manager, as well as the first Asian American general manager. Russell's motto in life was one three-lettered word: "fun." Ex-major leaguers and never-weres who could not stop playing the game flocked to the team's June try-outs, which were always open to anyone who showed up. Most of the Mavericks players were older than their opponents and had been released by other organizations, not all for baseball reasons alone. For this reason, Russell kept

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1376-410: The league. The Atlantic League has had many notable managers and coaches, including Wally Backman , Frank Viola , Tommy John , Sparky Lyle , and Bud Harrelson . The Northern League alumni include Leon "Bull" Durham , J. D. Drew , and Darryl Strawberry . Independent leagues are those professional leagues in the United States and Canada not under the purview of organized Minor League Baseball and

1419-585: The new Professional Baseball Agreement in organized baseball instituted more stringent revenue and stadium requirements on members. The Northern League and Frontier League both started play in 1993, and the Northern League's success paved the way for other independent leagues like the Texas-Louisiana League and Northeast League . Over the next eight years, at least 16 independent leagues formed, of which six existed in 2002. As of

1462-546: The off-season Miyazaki Phoenix League alongside Japanese and Korean minor league teams. Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems ) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States , based in Eugene, Oregon . The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants . Eugene plays their home games at PK Park . Founded 69 years ago in 1955 as

1505-557: The sole owner of the team, buying out co-owner John Carbray. The Mavericks finished 50–34 in 1974 under new manager Frank Peters, finishing in second place in the newly formatted West Division, two games behind the Bellingham Dodgers . Owner Bing Russell in November of that year promoted 24-year-old Lanny Moss to become the first female general manager in professional baseball . In 1975, again under manager Frank Peters,

1548-428: The team in early June 1973 drew 150 hopefuls, including one who hitchhiked across the country from Tennessee . Longtime minor-league star Hank Robinson managed the Mavericks to a record of 45–35 and a South Division title in 1973, their first season, but was suspended for a year after punching an umpire in late August. The players were paid $ 300 per month. Following the first season, in November 1973, Bing Russell became

1591-587: The top level of competition among the independent leagues, and has had more marquee players than any other independent league, including Jose Canseco , Mat Latos , Steve Lombardozzi Jr. , Francisco Rodríguez , Chien-Ming Wang , Roger Clemens , Rich Hill , Scott Kazmir , Juan González , John Rocker , and Dontrelle Willis . Two former Atlantic League players are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum , Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson . Gary Carter , another Hall of Famer, managed in

1634-628: Was an independent/co-op team ( Phillies , San Francisco Giants ) in 1974, then became an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in 1975. Entering Triple-A in 1969, the Emeralds moved from Bethel Park to Civic Stadium . The 6,800-seat facility was owned by the Eugene School District and was built in 1938 as a venue for high school football , which was played there until 1968. Civic Stadium also hosted semi-pro baseball teams, sponsored by local timber companies, until Bethel Park

1677-803: Was built in 1950. Facing an outdated stadium and high-maintenance costs, in 2010 the Eugene Emeralds moved into PK Park , the new baseball stadium across town that was built by the University of Oregon . The Emeralds new home, PK Park, is adjacent to Autzen Stadium and near the Willamette River . They share the new facility with the Oregon Ducks collegiate baseball team, whose regular season ends in May. This left an antiquated Civic Stadium without any active tenants. A vacant Civic Stadium

1720-495: Was destroyed by arson in 2015. In 2009, playing for the Emeralds, Nate Freiman led the league for the season in RBIs (68), extra-base hits (33) and total bases (140). A new logo, based upon Sasquatch , was adopted by the Emeralds in 2012. In 2013, the Emeralds partnered with Voodoo Doughnut to offer a bacon maple bratwurst as a specialty food item. Following the 2014 season, the Emeralds switched from being an affiliate of

1763-641: Was independent in 1902 and from 1907 to 1909; the United States Baseball League , which folded during its independent 1912 season; and the Colonial League, a National Association Member that went independent in 1915 and then folded. Another independent league, the Federal League , played at a level considered major league from 1914 to 1915. Few independent leagues existed between 1915 and 1993. Major exceptions included

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1806-468: Was not limited to the Russells; manager Hank Robinson (1923–2012) was a character actor, and players Robbie Robinson, Jason Tatar, and Ken Medlock all had long careers as actors. 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 six-time Academy Award -nominated writer and director. Open tryouts for

1849-578: Was the worst ever for a NWL champion. Following that season, the Emeralds were awarded the 53rd Annual Larry MacPhail Award, this award is in recognition for the franchises top promotional effort. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minor League Baseball season was cancelled. In the winter of 2020 as part the reorganization of minor league baseball, Eugene received an invitation to play as the High-A affiliate of San Francisco Giants . In

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