The Battered Bastards of Baseball

In 1973, actor Bing Russell started the Portland Mavericks - the only independently owned team in organized baseball - after MLB pulled its franchise from Portland. He opened tryouts to anyone who showed up.

Three hundred players arrived - rejects, misfits, aging veterans told their careers were over. The Mavericks hired the first female general manager in professional baseball, filled stands while MLB affiliates struggled, and beat the corporate system at its own game. Through archival footage, the film reveals how minor league baseball actually works - and what happens when independent spirit takes on the corporate machine.

A joyful look at second chances and what baseball looks like when winning matters more than metrics.