[ifspuds]

1938-1940: Genesis of a Baseball Team

In 1938, Emil Sick, owner of the Rainier Brewing Company, was strongly considering purchasing the Pacific Coast League Seattle Indians franchise, which had been suffering for several years after their home park, Dugdale Park, burned to the ground in 1932. But as he began to study the opportunity, the Pacific Ball Players League came calling.

Instead of investing in the established PCL, Sick jumped at the opportunity to join the upstart league and bought in to the initial 8-team circuit. He named his new club after his company and began construction on a stadium that would sit on the western shore of Lake Washington, southeast of downtown Seattle. Riverfront Field, as it would be called, would sit atop the ashes of Dugdale Park, the former home of the PCL Seattle Indians, one last parting shot at the Pacific Coast League from the Rainiers' owner.

A short left field fence made the park a right-handed pull hitter's dream, but the expansive right field made things tough for lefties. The upper bleachers behind home plate gave a fan a view of the lake, but early on, fans complained about a large number of seats that put them behind poles or obstructed their view of the game. Which, after all, was the most important view.

Sick quickly set about putting together his team, which, like most early PBPL teams, was cobbled together from young up-and-comers not yet noticed by other professional leagues, and washed-up veterans on their way down. The first season might not be particularly successful, but Sick had the drive to not just compete, but succeed.