Portland Rosebuds (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Portland Rosebuds |
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|---|---|
| Information | |
| League | West Coast Negro Baseball League (1946) |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| Ballpark | Vaughn Street Park |
| Year established | 1946 |
| Year disbanded | 1946 |
| Nickname(s) | Portland Roses |
| Ownership | Jesse Owens |
The Portland Rosebuds, sometimes called the Portland Roses, were a baseball team that played for a short time in 1946. This team was special because it was owned by the famous Olympic athlete, Jesse Owens. The Rosebuds were part of the West Coast Negro Baseball Association, which was a baseball league for African American players.
The Rosebuds played their first game on May 12, 1946. They faced the Seattle Steelheads at Dudley Field in El Paso, Texas. After this opening day, they played two more days in El Paso. They also played one game in nearby Ciudad Juárez. Sadly, the league ended after only two months.
A Short History of the Rosebuds
The Portland Rosebuds were part of an all-black baseball league. It was called the West Coast Baseball Association. This league was created because, at the time, black players were not allowed to play in the main professional baseball leagues. These leagues were known as the Negro Leagues.
In 1936, Jesse Owens had tried to promote another Negro League team. But that attempt was not successful. When Owens helped start the West Coast Baseball League in 1946, his team was one of six. The Portland Rosebuds were one of these teams. Other teams included the Oakland Larks and the San Francisco Sea Lions. There were also the San Diego Tigers and the Los Angeles White Sox.
The West Coast Baseball League was one of the last Negro Leagues to exist. It was the only one on the West Coast of the United States. Abe Saperstein, who famously started the Harlem Globetrotters, was the president of the league. Jesse Owens was named the vice president.
The 1946 Season
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The Portland Rosebuds played their first game in El Paso, Texas. This was on May 12, 1946. They played against the Seattle Steelheads. Three West Coast Baseball League games were played in El Paso. Jesse Owens helped a lot to promote these games. He even raced against racehorses between games! He also used these chances to talk about how important education was for a better life.
The Portland Rosebuds played their home games at Vaughn Street Park. This was the home stadium for the local Portland Beavers team. A veteran from the Negro Southern League, Wesley Barrow, was the team's manager.
On June 4, 1946, the Portland Rosebuds played their first home game. It was at Vaughn Street Park against the Los Angeles White Sox. About 1,500 fans came to watch the game. By the end of June, the Rosebuds were doing well. They were in second place in the league.
Team Roster
Here are the players who were on the Portland Rosebuds team:
| Name | Age | Bats | Throws | Height | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Bissant | 32 | R | R | ||
| Ed Brown | |||||
| Eddie Ducey | 31 | ||||
| Alphonse Dunn | 39 | R | R | ||
| Eugene Hardin | R | R | |||
| Louis Hutchinson | |||||
| Gen Jackson | R | R | |||
| Johnson | |||||
| Al Jones | R | R | 5’10” | 165 | |
| Clarence McMullen | L | R | |||
| Thomas | |||||
| Sam Wheeler | 22 | R | R | 5’11” | 155 |
| Bruce Wright | L | R |
None of these players went on to play in Major League Baseball.
Why the Team Ended
It was planned that the West Coast Baseball Association would play a full 110-game season. However, even though the Rosebuds were doing well, not many fans came to the games. Also, there wasn't much news coverage for the games. Because of this, the West Coast Baseball Association, along with the Portland Rosebuds, stopped playing in July 1946.
