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Randoms: The Battered Bastards of Basketball

The Battered Bastards of Baseball recounts the tale of the the Portland Mavericks, an independent Single-A baseball team from the 70s. The Mavericks were owned by Bing Russell, who played a deputy on Bonanza and died 100-plus times in TV and movie westerns. Bing was also the father of Kurt Russell, who also played on the team with a ragtag cast of misfits who’d been passed over by Major League Baseball.

In the Northwest League, a collection of minor league teams from multiple farm team levels, the Mavericks thrived because they were filled with guys who just wanted to play and who wanted to win.