Bend Rainbows
The Bend Rainbows played professional baseball in Bend, Oregon, in 1970 and 1971. The name won a contest in February 1970 that drew more than 90 suggestions. Mrs. Dennis Huntley of Prineville was the only entrant to propose Rainbows, and her entry reached the judges an hour before they sat down to choose; she said it was her husband's idea, and the couple won season tickets for two. The committee, which included Mayor John Stenkamp and parks director Vince Genna, wanted a name tied both to Central Oregon and to the parent Triple-A Hawaii Islanders. Rainbows fit both: the University of Hawaii's teams were the Rainbows, and the club's insignia was to feature the rainbow trout of local waters.
The Islanders created the Bend club so they could take part in the amateur draft. The Rainbows played at Bend's Municipal Ball Park, opened in 1964 at about 3,700 feet of elevation; in June 1972 it was renamed Vince Genna Stadium for the parks director who helped bring the team to town.
Charlie Silvera, a former Yankees backup catcher, managed the 1970 club to a 39-41 record and then left to coach for Billy Martin in Detroit. Ed Cecil won Bend's first game, 10-9 in extra innings over Tri-City, and Terry Thompson hit .332 with 12 home runs. The Bulletin reported in August that the club had lost more than $10,000.
In 1971 Cecil, a Bend native, took over as player-manager and the Rainbows went 42-36, first in the South Division. Kurt Russell, 20, a switch-hitting second baseman who missed the opener while finishing a Disney film, hit .285 in 51 games and made the All-Star team. Catcher Tom Trebelhorn played both seasons and later managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 1986 to 1991, and pitcher Chuck Hockenbery became the only Rainbow to reach the majors, with the 1975 California Angels. Hawaii moved its affiliate to Walla Walla for 1972, and Bend did not have professional baseball again until 1978.
The Pacific Northwest's short-season Class A circuit expanded from four clubs to six for 1970, adding Bend and Coos Bay-North Bend, and held no playoffs in those years.
