While Kurt Russell was breaking into the motion picture business, he also played minor league baseball. Russell played for Walla Walla Islanders in the Northwest League in the early 70s. Of course he has became a big movie star and has been with Goldie Hawn for many years in one of Hollywood's longest romances. 
Kurt must have interrupted his acting career for minor league baseball because I saw him on "Gilligan's Island" rerun when he was about 11 years old. Also, those Disney films were made when he was a teen so that must have been before baseball. You definitely have me hooked on your blog.
ReplyDeleteHe did both simultaniously. It was in his Disney days. About the time they released "Computer In Tennis Shoes."
ReplyDeleteI wonder if whoever came up with the idea of having an "Islanders" minor league team in Walla Walla realized that the town is in a completely landlocked valley, and is quite some distance from any "island" bigger than those mud deltas in Mill Creek. Probably the same folks who put a farm league team for the Padres into a town whose Mission was definitely not Spanish.
ReplyDeleteYes, but in your Los Angeles you have the Lakers and you are not know for your Lakes. You have the Dodgers, when was the last time that you dodged a trolley?
ReplyDeleteThe reason the Lakers are in LA is because they originally were the Minneapolis Lakers and in Minnesota we have more than 10,000 lakes. But we had a spotty history in supporting pro teams. Now we have the Minnesota Timberwolves and I supposed if they move to LA they still will be the Timberwolves although the only wolves in LA are in Hollywood. The hockey MN Northstars moved to Dallas where they are now the Stars, but who cares? Incidentally, the Seattle Pilots are now the Milwaukee Brewers, but they don't know hops from barley. What about the Seattle Rainers baseball team> Are both the beer and the team dead?
ReplyDeleteRRRRAAAAIIIIINNNNIIIIIEEEEER BEEEEEEEER!
ReplyDeleteWent out of business in 1999.
The baseball team was named after the beer. Rainier beer owner Emil Sick Purchased the Seattle indians and renamed them the Seattle Rainiers. The Rainiers played their games at Sick stadium wich is now if I remember correctly the location of a Eagle hardware store.
Somewhat ironicaly the stadium built to promote Rainier beer later became the home of the Seattle Pilots who morphed into the Milwaukie Brewers.
I was researching Kurt Russell articles and found your blog. My hubby and I from WW too but on the Northwest coast of Washington now too. Queen and Cook names. I still have the articles about Kurt playing baseball in Walla Walla from the paper way back when. As a young girl had a huge crush on him, still ain't to bad to look at.
ReplyDeleteBut my hubby Ron is my baseball player now!!
Since your from Walla Walla, you would be happy to know he is a Conservative from Hollywood.
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