Seattle had been granted an expansion team in the American League, the ill-fated Seattle Pilots, which began play in 1969.
•
They were initially named for the indigenous Native American population of the Pacific Northwest, and changed their name after being acquired by the Rainier Brewing Company, which was in turn named for nearby Mount Rainier.
•
In 1977, another American League expansion team was awarded to Seattle, the Seattle Mariners.
•
Events took a definite turn for the better in 1938 when Emil Sick, owner of Seattle's Rainier Brewing Company, bought the Indians and renamed them the Seattle Rainiers.
•
One of those was outfielder Casey Sander, a Seattle native who played one season in 1975 before embarking upon an acting career and eventually landing a regular role in the longtime ABC-TV sitcom Grace Under Fire.
Seattle | Seattle Seahawks | Seattle Mariners | The Seattle Times | West Seattle | Seattle SuperSonics | Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Seattle Art Museum | Queen Anne, Seattle | Central District, Seattle | Seattle Sounders FC | Seattle Opera | Seattle University | Belltown, Seattle | West Seattle, Seattle | Sleepless in Seattle | Seattle Public Schools | Seattle Pilots | Seattle Central Community College | Downtown Seattle | Battle in Seattle | Wedgwood, Seattle | Seattle Sounders Women | Seattle Chamber Players | Lake City, Seattle | Fauntleroy, Seattle | Ballard, Seattle | Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | South Seattle Community College | Seattle Metropolitans |
Vanni attended Seattle's Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington (where he played freshman football) before beginning his professional playing career as an outfielder with the 1938 Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.
Following his majors career, Judnich played for many years in the Pacific Coast League, including stints with the San Francisco Seals, Seattle Rainiers, and Portland Beavers.
The Pacific Coast League, which included the Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Seals, San Diego Padres, Hollywood Stars, Sacramento Solons, Oakland Oaks, Seattle Rainiers and Portland Beavers, effectively could be marketed as a major league with none of the 16 Major League teams operating west of St. Louis.