White Salmon Community Advantage Magazine October 2023

CASTOFFS, ROGUES AND WINNERS

Play ball! During the 1970s, umpires called out the famous phrase to launch Portland Mavericks baseball games at Civic Stadium (Providence Park) in one of the most colorful chapters in the history of Portland baseball.

Although the renegade Portland Mavericks existed for only five summers, this uniquely memorable team will forever be etched in the history of minor league baseball. The Mavericks emerged onto the Portland baseball scene in 1973 with the departure of the Portland Beavers — the city’s long-time triple-A club — moving to Spokane. The Mavericks were owned by ex-minor league baseball player and former actor, Bing Russell, best known for his role as Deputy Clem Foster on the TV Western Bonanza. Bing was the father of well-known actor Kurt Russell, who unbeknownst to many, played for the Portland Mavericks their inaugural season — batting .229 in 23 games.

Initially, trading the triple-A Beavers for the single-A Mavericks seemed like a raw deal for Portland baseball fans; however, the Portland Mavericks became a surprise success. Bing Russell’s motto for the Mavericks — that it should be “fun” — rendered the game-time atmosphere at Civic Stadium circus-like and light-hearted. Russell was a trendsetter, being one of the first to promote minor league baseball with a focus on fun and entertainment.

As an independent team, unaffiliated with a major league franchise, the Mavericks recruited ex-minor leaguers and ex-big leaguers who were looking for an opportunity to revive fading careers. At the time, Mavericks were the only independent professional baseball team in the country, and despite the fact that they could pay players only $300 a month, hopefuls continued to arrive from across the United States each June to participate in Bing Russell’s tryouts.

Unlike many independent teams, the Mavericks were competitive in their single-A Northwest League. For five seasons straight, the Mavericks were not only competitive, but won a number of league titles. In 1973, this rag-tag collection of baseball castoffs ended the season with a 45-35 record, and won the NWL south division title.

year, the Mavericks went 50-34, finishing second place in the newly formatted NWL west division. In 1975 and 1976, the Mavericks won the NWL title, but in 1977 (their last year), despite earning the best record in franchise history (44-22), they lost in the championship game to Bellingham. It was a remarkable run for an independent team of baseball rejects and has-beens who, during the course of their short but memorable existence, faced major league prospects such as Ozzie Smith, Dave Steward, Rickey Henderson, Mike Scioscia, Pedro Guerrero, and Dave Henderson—all of whom went on to become big-time stars in the MLB.

Contrary to the Portland Beavers who struggled with attendance in the early 1970s, the Mavericks packed the stands. In three out of five seasons, the Mavericks’ attendance exceeded 100,000 fans. In 1977, the Mavericks attracted 125,300 fans in only 33 games, which remains the attendance record in the minor leagues for short-season single-A level.

By Robert Matsumura, Contributing Writer

Despite the Portland Mavericks’ short existence, their seasons were distinguished by crazy hijinks, creativity, and historic firsts. Among the memorable moments in Mavericks history was the banning of manager Hank Robinson from the NWL for assaulting an umpire. Another was the 1975 game in which player/manager Frank Peters rotated all nine players in the Mavs lineup to a new position each inning. Also, when Peters wasn’t playing or managing the Mavs, he was busy operating several local nightclubs.

off field while playing for the Seattle Pilots (a former MLB team who eventually became the Milwaukee Brewers). Despite negative reaction from the MLB commissioner who felt the book painted a picture detrimental to the sport, Ball Four was a massive commercial success, selling millions of copies worldwide. As a Maverick, Bouton, along with the Mavericks pitching coach Rob Nelson, came up with the idea of Big League Chew — a shredded bubble gum alternative to chewing tobacco—that was initially picked up and produced by Wrigley gum.

The Portland Mavericks came to an end in 1977 when the Pacific Coast League decided to return to Portland. Organized baseball at the time operated under the authority of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. In order for the PCL to return to Portland, a deal had to be negotiated between Bing Russell and the PCL for rights to the Portland market. After months of hard bargaining, Russell ended up receiving his asking price of $206,000 — far more than the standard $25,000 compensation rate to relinquish rights to a city.

So remarkable were the Portland Mavericks during their colorful five-year run that Netflix produced the documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball, which not only recounted their amazing history, but also the Mavericks’ influence on independent baseball in the ensuing years.

consisting of the Volcanoes, Mavericks, Salem Senators, and the Campesinos de Salem-Keizer.

So, when you’re driving down I-5 near Keizer, you may notice a baseball game in progress at Volcanoes Stadium, and it just might be the newly revived Portland Mavericks. And if you’re in the mood for some good old-fashioned entertainment, stop by for a game and cheer on the storied Portland Mavericks!

BATGIRL PENNY CLEMO

The Mavericks also made history by hiring Lanny Moss and Jon Yoshiwara as General Managers. Moss, hired in 1975, was the first woman to hold the GM position in professional baseball. Yoshiwara, hired in 1977, was the first Asian-American GM in baseball at the professional level. At the same time, the 22-year old Yoshiwara was an active player on the roster as well.

Jim Bouton, ex-New York Yankee pitcher who played for the Mavericks twice, may have been the most notorious of all the team’s players. His famous book Ball Four detailed Burton’s wild experiences on and

After a forty-five year hiatus, Portland Mavericks emerged again as a member of the four-team Mavericks Independent Baseball League of the Salem Metro Area, which plays at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer. The league was formed by the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a previous minor league team in the San Francisco Giants’ system. After the Giants chose to sever their relationship with the Volcanoes, the latter chose to form an independent league of their own. The Volcanoes organization bought rights to the former Portland Mavericks and made them one of the four teams in their new league,

Let’s not forget the Mavericks’ bat girl, Penny Clemo, hired in 1975. The 12-year-old sixth grader from Portland was among some of the first girls to participate in Little League, as a lawsuit in June 1974 (for Maria Pepe and Kim Green) forced them to accept girls into their ranks. She played with fellow seventh and eighth graders and gained a reputation for being the toughest pitcher in the South Powell Little League, as well as hitting three grand slams in 1975. This set a precedent and proved that women belonged on the baseball field, not just in the stands.

All in the Family

Family business continues legacy of quality

for the “bear” tracks found on the road leading up to the local high school. In addition, you’ll find Swell City Décor hosting a Christmas Toy Drive in which donations are collected at the Hood River storefront, as well as a Christmas Pet Food Drive which they sponsor at the same time.

A family-focused enterprise in every sense of the word, Swell City Décor was bought by business partners Shane Sears and Dayna Stallsworth in 2017. Dayna’s dad, Darren, had been the previous owner for over 20 years and Shane had been one of his lead installers for those 20-plus years. Shane’s wife, Sherry, has worked in the office, scheduling and keeping books for upwards of 10 years now. In addition to the close family ties of the owners, Swell City Décor also extends a family-like culture among their employees.

The showroom, located just south of I-84 on Highway 30 is open Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A team of skilled project specialists, professional estimators, installers, contractors and staff are ready to assist throughout your entire project. Whether you visit Swell City Décor in person or online, someone is always waiting to help you. Working together to provide the best possible experience, Swell City Décor strives to make you feel like family!

By Patti Jo Brooks, Contributing Writer

Photos by Henry Schifter

Does your deck need re-staining? Maybe new blinds or window coverings are on the list? Swell City Décor located in Hood River promises the “highest quality products,” and is the “only home improvement store in the area that offers window treatments, floor coverings, area rugs, paints, stains and sundries and provides installation services, too,” says Dayna Stallsworth, co-owner of Swell City Décor.

Fall’s a great time to focus on home improvement tasks and Swell City Décor has an excellent selection of products to meet your every need. Hosting one of the largest and most beautiful showrooms in the area, owners Dayna Stallsworth and Shane Sears invite you to drop by their “one-stop shop” and peruse the showroom. You’ll want to see it for yourself!

Shane and his wife, Sherry, as well as Dayna and her husband, Chris, are residents of White Salmon and share a close connection with the local communities.

Swell City Décor proudly sponsors a White Salmon Community Youth baseball team and also donated paint to the White Salmon School District that was used

Swell City Décor is located at 1737 Cascade Ave. in Hood River. Please give them a call at (541) 386-1222 or email swellcitydecor@yahoo.com. Visit online at swellcitydecor.com.

The Secret to Outdoor Living

Patios for year-round outdoor living

and bought Patio Cover People — the largest and longest serving patio cover company in the Pacific Northwest. Since taking over, they’ve instilled a customer-first mindset into the business with the goal of creating a service-based business that stands apart from the typical contractor in the industry. It may sound trite, but if you call, they will answer the phone. If you email, it will get answered. If you have them out, they will actually give you a written estimate right on the spot. They tout their “ridiculous responsiveness” as a huge differentiator in the construction world.

So what is Patio Cover People all about? Patio Cover People installs high-quality daylight patio covers with optional railings and shades. If you need a deck or want to enclose the patio cover into a full room, they can do that as well. One advantage Patio Cover People offers is the acrylic material used for their patio covers, which allows more daylight to penetrate under the patio cover as well as into your home. This can be especially nice in the Northwest with its numerous overcast days. And for those sunny summer days, these acrylic covers reflect about 3/4 of the heat away, which in turn creates a more comfortable environment year-round. There are two styles of patio covers to choose from, shed and gable. The shed-style is a simple design that slopes downward off the house in a lean-to fashion, whereas the gable-style with its upward peak provides greater visibility for a property with a view. The gable-style, particularly when coupled with an enclosure, offers an appealing aesthetic that certain clients prefer.

Patio Cover People aims to give people a better outdoor living experience. Common situations clients seek to resolve are environments that are too wet, too hot, too small, too muddy from pets tracking into the house, or they’re simply ready to upgrade their patio area. Patio Cover People takes great pride in their work and expertise. As owner Tom puts it, “We solve problems and make it better.”

By Patti Jo Brooks, Contributing Writer

Patio Cover People, a Wilsonville company operated by owners Tom Moore and Chris McReynolds, love to serve the community. The two are local through and through. Best friends since before kindergarten, they grew up in Tualatin and lived just a couple miles away from each other. Their entrepreneurial adventures began early with a lawn mowing business in junior high, followed by house painting in high school. They went to different colleges, but after graduation they each got married and ended up moving back to Wilsonville and lived right across the street from each other.

Tom spent the first half of his professional career as a software engineer while Chris went into operations and business management. In 2012, they worked together and connected again, this time as senior executives of a health technology company in Clackamas. Then, in September 2021, they traded the digital health space for outdoor living

The company’s brand is fun and laid back – like an evening on the patio with family and friends – but this team is very serious about what they do. And they do it well. In fact, they have a long list of past clients who became “patio cover people” and have volunteered to be contacted by prospective customers who are considering a daylight patio cover. (Many of them will even invite people over to check it out for themselves!) And that speaks to the high level of trust and satisfaction that Tom and Chris have built with their customers.

Patio Cover People services the Greater Portland Metro Area and beyond — stretching north to Longview, Washington, and southward to Eugene and Springfield. Their clients give them rave reviews for their products, installation and service. So give them a call and you and your family can become patio cover people!

Patio Cover People is located at 10965 SW Commerce Circle in Wilsonville. Visit their website at patiocoverpeople.com or call them at (503) 744-6394.

The Irish Legend of Stingy Jack

Old myth illuminates Halloween icon

By Krysta M. Nelson, Contributing Writer

Ah, autumn, what a wonderful time of year! A time to break out all my favorite sweaters just as the leaves turn into vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red, and, best of all, the arrival of Halloween, my favorite holiday. I have so many fond memories over the years, eating candy all night and wearing costumes to school.

I should mention, my nickname as a kid was “Little Miss Mess Maker,” which means my favorite Halloween activity has always been carving pumpkins, even recreating a horror movie with the guts of a gourd one time. It was epic — the mess, not the movie.

Now, most people carve pumpkins never realizing the myth behind the mess, but my brain likes to know things, so I scooped up the history and discovered “The Legend of Stingy Jack.”

Long ago, in a small Ireland town, a drunkard named Stingy Jack earned his moniker after pinning his bar tab on the Devil himself. Apparently, Jake caused a bit of trouble for his neighbors, so Satan had come for his soul. Now, Jack may have been known for being a drunk — scuttered and bollocksed — but he was also a clever lad, convincing the Devil to take him to his favorite pub as a final request. When the bill came ’round, Jack convinced the demon to turn into a coin, so Jack could pay for his drinks.

However, instead of paying up, Jack dropped the coin into his pocket, alongside a crucifix, trapping the fiery foe. The Devil begged Stingy Jack to release him, and so he did, but only on the condition the Devil would not come for him for another year, and should Jack die, Satan could not claim his soul.

True to his word, the Devil didn’t return for a whole year. When he finally reappeared, Jack convinced Satan to climb a tree to grab a piece of fruit for the journey to Hell. Once the Devil reached the top, Jack carved a cross into the bark of the trunk, trapping the Devil among the branches. Again, Satan begged Jack to free him, but this time, Jack made him promise another 10 years. Of course, the Devil agreed to his terms and was freed.

Upon his death, Jack was denied heaven because of his obvious sins. And because of his trickery and scheming, Satan wouldn’t allow him into Hell either. Instead, the Devil gave Jack a lump of burning

coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved turnip and has been roaming the earth ever since as “Jack of the Lantern,” or Jack-o’-lantern nowadays.

What a guy, am I right? Because of this legend people in Ireland and Scotland started carving scary faces into turnips and potatoes.