Pacific Coast League names '07 Hall of Famers
Paul "Big Poison" Waner enjoyed great success during his short time as a member of the San Francisco Seals. While he spent just three seasons in the league from 1923-1925, Waner helped the Seals win two PCL Championships during that span. One of the best all-around hitters in the League's history, he won the batting title in 1925 with a .401 average, edging out fellow Hall of Fame inductee, Frank Brazill. That same season, he hit 75 doubles, a league record that stands to this day.
Third baseman and feared slugger Frank Brazill spent seven seasons in the Coast League. He began his PCL career in Portland, where he played from 1922-1924 before joining the Seattle club in 1925. While '25 was the only season he spent in Seattle, he posted what is thought to be the best single season hitting performance in the city's history when he put up a .395 average, 29 home runs, 67 doubles and 155 RBIs. He then went on to play in Los Angeles from 1926-1927 and finished his tenure playing with the Mission Reds in 1928. Brazill slugged for a .342 career batting average with 1,320 total hits, including 267 doubles, 145 homers and 682 runs batted in.
One of the League's top offensive players during the late 20s and early 30s, Irvin "Fuzzy" Hufft compiled 1,446 total hits playing in the PCL and tallied a career batting average of .346 with 166 home runs and 902 RBIs. Hufft spent his seven seasons in the PCL playing in Seattle from 1926-1928, with Mission (San Francisco) from 1928-1931, finishing with Oakland in 1932. Off the field, his unquestionable patriotism should also be noted for his service as an enlisted soldier in United States military in both World War I and World War II.
Emil Sick was one of the most celebrated and influential owners in the Pacific Coast League's history. Known primarily as a successful business man and owner of the Rainier Brewery located in Seattle, he purchased the struggling Seattle Indians franchise in 1937 and looked to initiate immediate change. He renamed the club the Rainiers and built a new ballpark, Sick Stadium. Results were quick to come, as Seattle joined the ranks as one of the PCL's elite clubs. The Rainiers would go on to win five pennants and record four second-place finishes before Sick sold the club in 1960.
The 2007 inductees to the Hall of Fame were selected by the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame Committee, a blue-ribbon panel composed of Minor League Baseball, PCL and National Baseball historians. More information on the PCL Hall of Fame can be found on the League's web-site.
Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame 2007 Inductees
Frank Brazill (inducted as a player) 1922-1928 -- Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, SF Mission
Fuzzy Hufft (inducted as a player) 1926-1932 -- Seattle, SF Mission, Oakland
Emil Sick (inducted as an executive) 1938-1951 -- Seattle
Paul Waner (inducted as a player) 1923-1925 -- San Francisco
About the PCL Hall of Fame: The Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame was created in 1936 by the Helms Athletic Foundation located in Los Angeles, Calif., which at the time also operated Halls of Fame for Major League Baseball, Golf, College Basketball, Tennis, Swimming, Auto Racing, Professional Football, Track and Field, and College Football. In 1952, the PCL Hall of Fame ceased operation, but was brought back in conjunction with the 2003 Pacific Coast League Centennial Celebration. The Hall currently consists of 70 members, and includes such luminaries as Joe DiMaggio, Lefty O'Doul, Steve Bilko, and Tommy Lasorda.