Western Baseball League (1995-1998)
Tombstone
Born: 1994 – WBL founding franchise
Folded: Postseason 1998
First Game: May 19, 1995 (W 14-8 vs. Tri-City Posse)
Last Game:
Stadium
Vince Genna Stadium (2,000)11998 Mission Viejo Vigilantes Program
Opened: 1946
Dimensions (1998): Left: 330′, Center: 390′, Right: 330′
Marketing
Team Colors: Red, Black, Mustard Yellow, Cool Gray
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1995-1996: Ed Zschau Jr., Ed Zschau Sr., John Fisher, Owen Brown, Ben Westlund, Dave Alden, et al.
- 1997: Ben Westlund, Dave Alden, Larry Hix, Marsha Hix & Boyd Lyle
- 1998, Larry Hix, Marsha Hix, Dave Alden, et al.
Major League Affiliation: Independent
Attendance
Background
The Bend Bandits were an independent (non-Major League affiliated) minor league baseball team that played in the Central Oregon during the late 1990’s. The Bandits were one of eight original clubs in the all-independent Western Baseball League formed in 1995. They replaced the Bend Rockies of the Northwest League, a Class A farm club of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies, who left town at the end of the 1994 season.
The Bandits picked up a handful of ex-Major Leaguers over the years. 27-year old outfielder Donald Harris (Bend ’95-’96) was the #5 overall pick in Major League Baseball’s 1989 amateur draft who never panned out for the Texas Rangers.
Pitchers Rocky Childress (Bend ’95), Jeff Pico (Bend ’95), Dennis Burtt (Bend ’96 – also the Bandits’ pitching coach) and Erik Bennett (Bend ’98) also had big league service time.
The Bandits’ manager from 1995 to 1997 was “Dirty Al “Gallagher, an ex-Major League infielder of the early 1970’s who became a wandering independent baseball field manager for the better part of three decades. Former New York Mets star Wally Backman managed the Bandits for their final season in 1998.
The End
The Bandits ceased operations after the 1998 season. The Western League folded up a few years later in 2002. Pro baseball has never returned to Bend since the Bandits left town more than 20 years ago.
Trivia
In July 1998, Bandits outfielder Mark Charbonnet homered in seven consecutive games, tying a record accomplished only three other times in minor league baseball history dating back to 1912.
Dirty Al Gallagher’s legal name was Allan Mitchell Edward George Patrick Henry Gallagher.
“The story is that his parents wanted a very large family,” Sean Gallagher said of his father, an only child. “Once Dad was born, they gave him all of the names.” (John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle 12/8/2018)
In Memoriam
Bandits part-owner Ben Westlund died of cancer on March 7, 2010 at the age of 60. He was serving his first term as State Treasurer of Oregon at the time of his passing.
Manager Dirty Al Gallagher (Bend ’95-’97) passed on December 6, 2018 at age 73. San Jose Mercury News obituary.
Downloads
1997 Bandits Roster. Date Unknown
1997 Bend Bandits Roster
1998 Bandits Player Bios Program Insert
Links
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