Seattle Studs celebrate 50

The baseball team with the most macho nickname in Northwest sports is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season — the Studs.

In 1954, Tacoma lumberyard owner Ben Cheney founded the Cheney Studs; the nickname referred to the 2-by-4 uprights used in home construction.

The amateur team has gone through a variety of owners and leagues since 1954, but the nickname hasn't changed.

The owner of the team now called the Seattle Studs is a 48-year-old woman, Elisa Thomases, a lifelong baseball fan with Ohio roots.

"I kid myself about the name," said Thomases, whose wardrobe includes a team jacket with the word "Studs" on it.

"You have to be sure of yourself to wear a jacket with 'Studs' written on the front," said Thomases as she sat in the Everett Memorial Stadium press box keeping score for her team that costs her more than $40,000 a year to field.

Pitcher Scott Robertson, a former University of Washington pitcher from Mercer Island, said the team nickname makes for amusing encounters.

"Women ask, 'So, you play baseball. What team?' "

"You tell them, 'The Seattle Studs,' and they giggle and say, 'Really?'

"Then you just stick your chest out and put a smile on your face and say, 'Yes, that's right.' "

The team insignia, crafted when the Mariners were playing inside the Kingdome, declares, "Real men, real grass."

The Studs are one of 11 teams in the Pacific International League and play their home games at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma.

The PIL is the highest level of non-professional baseball in the Northwest and British Columbia. Teams stretch from Kelowna, B.C., to Bend and the Portland suburb of Aloha, where that team, nicknamed Knights, is owned by Penny Knight, wife of Nike mogul Phil Knight. The three Seattle-area teams are the Everett Merchants, Kirkland Kodiaks and the Studs.

About 95 percent of the PIL rosters are college players from schools ranging from podunk to Princeton with a strong mix of Pac-10 and other NCAA Division I talent. The league used to have more players in their mid-20s, but the proliferation of independent pro minor leagues has siphoned many away.

The PIL is affiliated with the National Baseball Congress, which conducts a national championship every August in Wichita, Kan. The Everett Merchants won the 1988 NBC title, and longtime Everett manager Harold Pyatte is one of 10 nominees for the NBC Hall of Fame this year.

The PIL (pacificinternationleague.com) is a wood-bat league often mentioned in the same breath as the Cape Cod League in the Northeast, the Jayhawk League in the Midwest and the Alaska League.

Some PIL team owners don't want to pay for the expensive Wichita trip and play in a separate division. The league tournament will be in August without one or two of the strongest teams because they will be in Wichita. That doesn't seem to bother anyone.

The events that get all owners juiced are the major regional tournaments in Kamloops, B.C., and Portland that offer cash payouts that can reach $8,000 to the winning team. That kind of money can go a long way to help with season expenses.

The Studs' roster ranges in age from 18-year-old Kyle Beitey, who threw two no-hitters in the state Class 3A high-school playoffs for Columbia River High School of Vancouver, Wash., to 39-year-old Larry "The Legend" Frostad, who drives from Spokane to play in weekend games. Last week, the Studs added pitcher Tim Lincecum, who was Pac-10 pitcher and freshman of the year as a Husky in the spring.

The Studs are managed by Barry Aden, and the pitching coach is Dan Spillner, who spent 13 years in the majors.

" 'Spills' is great," said Robertson, who turned around last year and taught what he learned to Huskies pitchers as a graduate assistant.

The purpose of the PIL is player improvement.

"We didn't start this league for the fans," said league secretary Steve Potter, who used to own the Studs. "We started it to give kids the opportunity to play."

Players say the summer ball is more relaxed than college ball and its emphasis on winning. They are more free to experiment with new batting stances, new pitches or even positions in summer ball. Working hard can set the stage for a breakout season in college next spring.

How good is the baseball? One indication might be the recent game between the Class A Everett AquaSox and the Everett Merchants. The AquaSox won 3-0 and plan to play the Merchants every season, with a trophy going to the winner.

Potter said, "I think you can tell the caliber of the ball in our league by the number of players now in the majors (at least six) and the fact 37 players were drafted in our league this year."

Teams in isolated markets such as Bellingham, Wenatchee and Bend operate much like minor-league teams, with promotions and crowds of more than 1,000. The crowd at Studs home games usually can be counted in dozens (sometimes including a few pro scouts), and no admission fee is charged. Everett tickets are $3. In Kirkland, adult tickets are $3.50.

Some teams reduce expenses by charging players a "player fee" for the season (Kirkland players pay $300). Other teams, such as the Studs, don't charge.

The roll call of past Studs includes major-leaguers Ron Cey, Mick Kelleher and Lenn Sakata.

Dave Heaverlo, who went on to pitch for the Giants, Oakland and Seattle, offered this testimonial on the 40th anniversary of the team in 1994:

"My good fortune in the major leagues would never have happened had I not pitched for the Studs. The opportunities and playing alongside some of the best players the state had to offer back in those days is something I'll never forget. I wished some of those guys could have played in my outfield and infield during my career."

Players also get an added bonus — for the rest of their lives they can say with absolute sincerity: "I was a Stud."

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com