Michael_Elliott 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.

jwcohen-945-938965 Sorry to say that I'm no baseball fan but _The Battered Bastards of Baseball_ is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen.Picture a workman television actor who loves baseball. He forms an independent baseball team in Portland, Oregon, when the current team takes a hike looking for greener pastures in another city. He holds open tryouts and potential players who never made it come for their shot from as far away as South Africa.The story is likened to Professor Harold Hill of _The Music Man_ fame who isn't pitching a boys band to River City citizens but a baseball team to a city who sorely needs it share of quirky local heroes. A classic underdog story paired with a club owner who's a showman.., _The Battered Bastards of Baseball_ has feature film written all over it and is a film I want to see.

Geeky Randy 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)

MacTheMovieguy A surprisingly interesting Netflix documentary about the Portland Mavericks, and their owner Bing Russell. The film starts out chronicling Russell's childhood, where he grew up watching the Yankees in their summer training, and tried to parlay that into his own professional career. After being injured, he tried his hand at acting, and became most well known for his role on Bonanza. He's also Kurt Russell's father.In the early 70′s, Russell formed a minor league professional baseball team in Portland, called the Mavericks, and they caused quite a ruckus in baseball history. They were the only independently owned minor league team at the time. Todd Field (In The Bedroom) was a batboy for them.The film chronicles both the rise and fall of the Mavericks, and Bing Russell. Kudos to Netflix for wanting to tell this story. Bing Russell was a good man, and fought a good fight. I was completely unaware of this story before, and I'm glad I know more about it.