THE SPOKANE INDIANS: A CENTURY OF TRADITION 
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 In the city of Spokane, Washington, baseball is more than just a game and the Spokane Indians are more than just the hometown team. Spokane is a baseball town nestled in the Eastern part of Washington state, against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The relationship between the Spokane Indians and the city of Spokane is a love affair more than a century old. On May 3, 1890, the first professional baseball game was played in Spokane. The game that afternoon pitted the team from Spokane against the team from Portland, Oregon in the inaugural game of the Pacific Northwest League. Portland won the battle, but not the war as the Spokane team would go on to win the pennant that year, setting the stage for one of the most storied histories in all of Minor League Baseball. In the early days of baseball, teams were simply known by the town they represented. At the start of the 1903 season, local clothing store clerk Arthur Pease won a contest to formally name the team with his nickname suggestion of "Inlanders." Three weeks later, all three local newspapers began calling the team the Spokane Indians. No explanation for the change was ever given and the rest, as they say, is history. The tradition of Spokane Indians baseball is one of triumph and tragedy, good times and bad, players of fame and those of notoriety.  Prior to the start of World War I, the Indians were the toast of the Northwestern League, winning the pennant in 1910 and again in 1916, just before the league suspended operations due to WWI. The Spokane team's of the 1910's featured future Hall of Famers Stan Coveleski and George Kelley and two players who were a bit more notorious. The 1913 Indians featured Coveleski, future Major League star Shufflin' Phil Douglas, and a shortstop by the name of Swede Risberg. Six years later, Risberg was the shortstop for the Chicago White Sox and was implicated in the "Black Sox" scandal and banned from baseball for life. Douglas was also banned for life from baseball for offering to take a bribe when he was a member of the New York Giants. Of the dozen or so players banned for life from baseball, the 1913 Spokane Indians featured two of them. Following World War I, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression and many of the minor league teams did not survive. The Spokane Indians were no exception and the city of Spokane was left without professional baseball from 1921-1937, sixteen long years before making a triumphant return for the 1937 season. From 1938 to 1940, the Indians broke the national Class B attendance record, establishing Spokane as one of the top minor league franchises in the country. The good times continued with back-to-back championships in 1940 and 1941, a year before World War II left Spokane without baseball once again. When baseball returned to Spokane in 1946, it was a return of tragedy. Midway through the 1946 season, the Spokane Indians found themselves a few games out of first place on their way to a series in Bremerton, Washington. On June 24, 1946, the city of Spokane and the Spokane Indians were forever changed when the team bus crashed down the slopes of Snoqualmie Pass, killing nine members of the team. To this day, the tragedy that struck the Spokane Indians in 1946 remains the worst accident in American professional sports history. The accident left the Indians without enough players to field a team, but returned to the field on July 4th with a make-shift roster. The Brooklyn Dodgers were one of the teams to lend the Indians players, planting a seed that blossomed into a great relationship between the Indians and Dodgers.  When the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles following the 1957 season, Spokane was awarded the Los Angeles Triple-A franchise and began play in the Pacific Coast League during 1958 season. During the inaugural season of 1958, the Spokane Indians attracted over 270,000 fans, the third best figure in all of Minor League Baseball. With stars like Maury Wills, Ron Fairly, Willie Davis, and Frank Howard, the Indians won the 1960 PCL pennant and ushered in the glory days of baseball in Spokane. Baseball in Spokane reached its peak in 1970 with one of the greatest teams in Minor League history. With Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda at the helm, the 1970 Indians won the PCL title by an amazing 26 games and swept the league championship series. In 1995, Baseball America named the 1970 Spokane Indians the best minor league team of the 2nd half of the 20th century. The 1970 Indians featured more than a dozen future major league regulars, including stars such as Bobby Valentine, Charlie Hough, Steve Garvey, and Bill Buckner. Following the 1971 season the Dodgers left Spokane, opening the door for the Rangers' first successful relationship with the Spokane Indians. In 1973, the Rangers and Indians began a three-year relationship in the Pacific Coast League. Under the guidance of manager Del Wilber, the Indians won back-to-back PCL pennants and featured future four-time Major League batting champion Bill Madlock. Ironically, Wilber was called up to manage the Rangers for one game during the 1973 season as an interim manager between Whitey Herzog and Billy Martin. The following decade was a time of uncertainty for the Indians.  A big change for the better occurred in 1985 as a legendary baseball family saved baseball in Spokane for another generation of Indians fans. With new owners George, Bobby, Ken and J.B. Brett leading the charge, the Spokane Indians have developed the reputation of being one of the top organizations in Minor League Baseball. The Indians went on to win four straight Northwest League championships from 1987-1990 and baseball fans in 1988 were treated to one of the most dramatic moments in the team's history. With the fifth and final game of the Northwest League Championship Series tied 2-2, Spokane outfielder Mike Humphreys stole home to win the game and give the Indians the NWL pennant for the second consecutive year. In 2003, the Texas Rangers became the Major League affiliate of the Indians. Since that time, Spokane has won two NWL Championships (2003 and 2005) in the past four years. The 2005 Spokane Indians never showed any quit with 20 come-from-behind victories in the regular season and defeated the Vancouver Canadians 8-3 in the fifth and final game of the Northwest League Championship Series to bring home the title. The Spokane Indians are a successful combination of baseball and showmanship. "The Show" at Avista Stadium includes contests, promotions and enthusiasm as the Indians provide family entertainment at a family price. As co-owner Bobby Brett says, "On a Fireworks Night, we will have 4,000 baseball fans and 3,000 fireworks fans." By continually improving Avista Stadium, the Indians have the crowned jewel of the Northwest League. Co-owner George Brett, along with six other people enshrined in Cooperstown that have ties to the Indians, are honored with a Hall of Fame Plaza at the entrance to the stadium. From the award-winning grounds crew to the record setting crowds, the Brett brothers have helped usher in one of the greatest eras of baseball in a long and storied history for the Spokane Indians. The Spokane Indians have had a long and magnificent history. From the humble beginnings in 1890, the Indians baseball history has been punctuated by pride. The Indians have won championships and captured the hearts of their fans. They have survived a devastating tragedy and have been reborn, weaving themselves into the fabric of the Inland Northwest. Over the past 100 years, the Indians have become local legends, one generation of ballplayers inspiring the next, looking ahead to another century of Spokane Indians baseball. |
