Ozzie Smith Played In Walla Walla

If there is a list of great athletes to play with Walla Walla's Borleske Stadium as a home field, you may see names like Dean Derby, Bobby Cox, Drew Bledsoe and maybe, this Hall of Famer, Ozzie Smth.
 In 1977, Ozzie Smith played for the Walla Walla Padres, as indicated in the above Walla Walla Union Bulletin story above, he also made an impression on the local baseball fans. He was voted most popular member of the team that season.
Smith would play for the parent San Diego Padres the next season.    It was there that started a string of winning 13 consecutive Golden Glove awards.
After a trade to the St Louis Cardinals, he would lead the team to a World Series victory.  His statistics are staggering, including 2460 career hits and a 15 time All Star. 
He was elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame on the first ballot.

Ready For The Game

The summer of 1969,  Walla Walla had a brand new Northwest League Baseball team known as the Bears, this picture was taken at Borleske Stadium and appeared in the Sunday paper.  I am in the back between my two parents.  My brother, Danny and sister, Debbie are in front.  My brother, Steve was born two years later.
Thank you to my brother, Danny for posting this on Facebook.

Coach Borleske Featured On Walla Walla Page

Joe Drazan's Bygone Walla Walla page today, included pictures of Legendary Whitman College football coach Raymond Vincent Borleske.  Walla Walla's athletic field is known as Borleske Stadium.  After coaching, Borleske managed the Marcus Whitman Hotel and was later elected mayor of Walla Walla. 

Baseball Is Sweet In Walla Walla

It had been years since I watched baseball in Borleske Stadium (bottom picture), but this past weekend my father and I went to Walla Walla to join my brother, Steve in attending a Walla Walla Sweets game. 
The Sweets began playing in 2010, part of the West Coast League, the WCL is a summer college league with teams in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.  The team members are college baseball players from around the Northwest and beyond.  The Sweets team is comprised of  players from as close as Walla Walla Community College and as far away as Emery College.
I remember watching Northwest League Baseball as a child and so much has changed.  It was straight and played so seriously.  The dour faced PA announcer would announce each batter.  The Sweets games are fun and zany.  There is a big onion mascot (top picture) representing the namesake of the team (Walla Walla  Sweet Onions).  I guess the team could have had a "wine" name as the area is now known for it's wineries, but I think the sweet onion name was deemed more family friendly.  Borleske Stadium has been changed also.  The outfield fence looks well crafted, there are various food choices throughout the stadium (I think in the old days, it was hot dogs, popcorn, and peanuts).  There are box seats, available for along the field (top picture), and a beer garden along the left field fence allows the fans a chance to get the beverage of their choice while sitting away from those who choose not to drink.  The garden also pours a variety of the area's wines such as Calico Red by Bergevin-Lane.
A variety of contests include "thirsty batter", where a player on the visiting team is so designated, whenever that batter strikes out, fans will enjoy a discount on their beer.   Other contests include a run around the bases,  and a catcher's throw.  Although the crowd was rather light, it does seem like the town has taken well to the team.  I think the fact that it does not have a Major League affiliate could actually lend itself well to team building and stability.  It would seem that players would stay with the team through the entire season. 
One important note is to keep your eye on the ball if you attend a game as foul balls landing in the stands is quite common.

Northwest League Baseball--The Walla Walla Islanders

Walla Walla would get Minor League Baseball in 1969, the same year Major League Baseball first came to the Seattle (The Pilots).  At first, the Walla Walla Bears were affiliated with Philadelphia. When that tie ended, Walla Walla began an unusual affiliation with a Pacific Coast League team, The Hawaii Islanders.  The season before, Hawaii had the Bend Rainbows in the Northwest League. In the picture above, actor Kurt Russell, who at the time was appearing in Disney films, was trying to make a second career as a baseball player.  Tom Trebelhorn, would later have success as a manager in the "bigs".  Team Owner, Verne Russell (no relation to Kurt) is also pictured on the left in a tie.  The team played at Borleske Stadium.  It was a great place to spend a summer evening. 
The next season,  the team would begin a long affiliation with the San Diego Padres.

Walla Walla Sweets Bring Baseball Back To Borleske

For the first time in a generation, summer baseball is back in Walla Walla. Sure there are the Little League, high school and college teams, but Walla Walla had not had a team to represent the city since the Northwest League Bears left in 1984. The Bears left to become the Everett Giants (now the Aqua Sox). Walla Walla had a 15 year history with the Northwest League. During it's run as a farm club for the San Diego Padres, future Hall Of Famers Tony Gwinn and Ozzie Smith began their professional careers there.
After 27 years baseball is back in Borleske Stadium. The Walla Walla Sweets of the collegiate West Coast League, started this month. The games will be broadcast on KTEL When we visited the old home town over the Memorial Day Weekend, the local paper did a real nice article on the team and what it means to the town.