Bing Russell(1926-2003)
- Actor
- Writer
Although best known as the deputy on Bonanza (1959) and Robert in
The Magnificent Seven (1960), Russell was also well-known on a national level as the
owner of the Portland Mavericks Baseball Club. Helming the only
independent team in the Class-A Northwest League, Russell was an
innovator. Before Bull Durham (1988), there were the Mavericks. Russell
kept a 30-man roster because he believed that some of the players
deserved to have one last season. His motto was one 3-letter word. Not
WIN, although the Mavericks did just that. No, the word was FUN. He created
a park that kept all corporate sponsorship outside the gates, hired the first
female general-manager in professional baseball, and the the next year hired
the first Asian-American GM/Manager. That season his team set a record for
the highest attendance in minor-league history and went on to win the
pennant. Ex-major leaguers and never-weres who couldn't stop playing the
game flocked to his June tryouts, which were always open to anyone who
showed up. Players from as far away as France and Cape Town would head to
Portland for a chance with Russell's Mavericks.
