In 1973, the Portland Mavericks joined the minor leagues as the lone single-A team without a major-league affiliation. The brainchild of Hollywood veteran and irrepressible baseball fanatic Bing Russell, the appropriately named team made history on and off the field with such radical acts as hiring baseball’s first female general manager, holding open tryouts, and fielding a left-handed catcher. Russell’s ragtag roster—including son Kurt Russell, blacklisted Yankee Jim Bouton, and future Academy Award–nominee ball boy Todd Field—defied expectations by winning games and filling seats. In addition to garnering record-breaking crowds, the Mavericks also drew the attention and ire of competitors, which only served to fuel the team’s underdog spirit. A stranger-than-fiction tour-de-force, The Battered Bastards of Baseball celebrates the game and the era with verve.  TM