The Battered Bastards of Baseball

Greetings again from the darkness. What an excellent documentary on yet another in the seemingly endless string of baseball stories that are both fascinating and true. Don't make the error of assuming one must be a baseball fan to enjoy this ... it works just as well as a story of the little guy sticking it to the man (the man in this case is the court-protected giant known as Professional Baseball.

An original production of Netflix, it's directed by Chapman and Maclain Way, brothers and grandsons of Bing Russell. You may or may not be familiar with Bing. He is the father of actor Kurt Russell, a well known character actor (a recurring role as Deputy Clem in "Bonanza"), and the driving force behind the Portland Mavericks. The Mavericks were an Independent Professional Baseball team from 1973 to 1977, and this is their story.

As a kid, Bing hung around St Petersberg, where the New York Yankees held spring training. He ended up friends with Lefty Gomez, and hung around many Yankee greats. Bing had a true passion for baseball. He loved the game, the players, and the way of life. He even used to test Kurt on the intricacies of the game, and later created some very in-depth teaching videos.

Bing's real impact on the great game came from his stint as creative force and owner of the Mavericks. The film does a terrific job with interviews, archival footage and other recollections of Bing and the rag-tag group of players that disrupted the industry that does not like to be messed with.

Not only was the team successful on the field, but they also set attendance records and inspired true fan loyalty. They were the last independent league allowed to play in the minor leagues, and their legacy continued even after the team was shut down: two of the pitchers invented Big League Chew, one pitcher was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, the team hired the first female GM in professional ball, and they even had a left-handed catcher. Their bat boy (Todd Field) went on to become an actor and Oscar nominated director and writer (In The Bedroom). "Ball Four" author Jim Bouton made his comeback with the Mavericks, which led to his making it back to the big leagues, and even Kurt Russell spent some time playing during the Mavericks' first year.

It's a shame this film didn't make the festival rounds, as it would no doubt have been well received. I expect every baseball lover will get a kick out of this, and I certainly hope others give it chance. Bing Russell's vision and passion are to be admired and respected, regardless of the industry. He was a "can do" guy who followed his bliss and made a difference.

Documentary about Hollywood veteran Bing Russell creating the only independent baseball team in America at the time, operating without a Major League affiliation. From public tryouts to the in-your-face attitude, the 1973–1977 Portland Mavericks are a thrill to watch. Featuring interviews with Kurt Russell, Todd Field, Frank "The Flake" Peters, Joe Garza, Jim Bouton and Joe Garagiola. What's even more exciting than hearing about these underdogs win is hearing about Bing Russell going face-to-face with the powerful establishment of Major League Baseball and basically telling them that the only rules he'll play by are the rules of baseball. Nowadays, however, it feels a bit ironic that a guy like Bing Russell, the man who did it all for the love of the game which included practically giving the middle finger to the bureaucracy of sporting establishments, would be a New York Yankees fan.

***½ (out of four)

The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)

**** (out of 4)

Excellent documentary from Netflix that takes a look at Bing Russell and his attempt to rebuild baseball in Portland, OR when their minor league team left. Russell created the Portland Mavericks, a team that wouldn't play by any rules but their own and over a five year period they would be a smashing success, which would lead to Major League Baseball trying to get back into the action.

I, like most people, probably best remember Bing for his acting as well as him being Kurt's father. I honestly had no idea about this bit of history but there's no question that this was a rather remarkable documentary that was certainly incredibly entertaining but it also showed what someone could do if their heart was behind it. Independent baseball was pretty much wiped out by MLB and yet here's someone who spent his own money because he loved the game and tried to deliver something for real baseball fans.

The great thing about this documentary is that we get interviews with Kurt as well as several members of the actual baseball team. With so many direct interviews you certainly got a terrific idea of what it was like to be on this team and go through the the fun of rebuilding this town into a team that they could be proud of. There are a number of terrific interviews with the players as well as some archival television material. If you're a fan of baseball then this is certainly a terrific documentary that you'll want to check out.

This film is a very compelling documentary about the little guy tweaking the nose of baseball and getting away with it...kind of. It's about Bing Russell (father of Kurt Russell) and his ownership of the minor league ball club, the Portland Mavericks. But, unlike most other teams, his team was not affiliated with a major league team but was an independent that scraped together players rejected by other teams. And, what shocked the league was that the team was SUPER-successful and set attendance records...and won a lot of games. But, this rag-tag group of castoffs also irritated the powers that be because they had attitude and didn't play the game exactly like the rest. What's next? See the film.

Aside from some music that was too repetitive, the film was amazingly well made--especially since it was made for Netflix. You just don't expect this sort of thing being made for this DVD service!! But, it's well done and will be of interest to everyone--even those who couldn't care less about sports. Worth seeing.

Just want to say I was at the first tryouts for the team and it was a savory sight there were guys out there that when they had batting practice each one got so many swings I think and there were guy that couldn't even hit a batting practice picture. I remember a left-handed catcher from Vancouver WA, an older guy that was also a catcher I don't think he made the team rather he wasn't half bad but I think his age was against him. The game frank the Flake Peters played all nine positions I think he pitched the 8 inning and threw 9 pitches and retired the side all nine pitches were knuckle balls. One day in tryouts there was a kid from Spokane WA and he got hurt his shoulder and they ask if I would take him to the hospital I took him and when I went back the next day he left during the night They had no insurance and he didn't have any. They were a fun bunch to watch. At the time Frank Peters was the first to steal first base. He just picked it up and left the park.