Within a small garage in the Seattle vicinity, an impressive collection from the past of the region is sitting quietly. The items may seem, at a glance, to be beyond the tangible – old newspapers, cracked ticket stubs, and a pin saved from a stadium that is no longer. With a little creativity, and the artistry of Charles Kapner, these turn into windows onto some very effective storytelling. Well, a collection in tribute to what has been a life mission for Kapner.
Kapner’s love for baseball and collecting started when he was a boy. “I already had the passion for the game and for collecting,” recalled Kapner. “But that set me in a direction of: Someday I’m going to do what this guy did. I was enthralled and inspired.” From there, he started his collection, filled with treasures from the Mariners and early days of minor-league ball in Seattle, including a cherished card from the late 1800s.
Dan Dugdale: The Pioneer of Seattle Baseball
When you mention Seattle baseball, Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez often come to mind. However, really the pioneering trailblazer is Dan Dugdale, who made his Major League debut more than 100 years before Griffey. Dugdale, of course, played for the Kansas City Cowboys and Washington Senators, but he essentially failed as a major leaguer before creating some sort of legacy as an executive. He owned and managed various early Seattle teams and constructed two stadiums, the first being Dugdale Park, which in 1913 opened to the public.
1924 Pacific Coast League Champions
The 1924 Seattle Indians were a truly great team, champions of the Pacific Coast League with a record of 109 wins and 91 losses. Pitcher Vean Gregg’s extraordinary 25-11 season and 326 innings pitched stand almost as a testament for the rigorous schedules of that time. Their victory earned them a spot in the Junior World Series, but bad weather canceled the series after just one game.
Reminiscing About Sick’s Stadium
The Seattle Indians moved from Dugdale Park through Civic Field, finally ending in Sick’s Stadium in 1938. Emil Sick named the place, which after 1938 became as valued a landmark for fans such as Kapner as it was an arena. “It was that experience when you would walk into the stadium with that popcorn smell and seeing Mount Rainier over right field that got you. The concourses of the stadium with all their photographs of Seattle’s baseball history just did wonders for him as far as getting that collecting audience.”
Historic Players and Their Contributions
I do say, Seattle baseball has a history of trailblazers-Bobby Balcena, the first Filipino in the majors; artie Wilson; and Bob Boyd, the first Black players on the team. Their contributions would scatter seeds of progress uniting different generations. Fred Hutchinson, a Rainier star and pitcher, also left a legacy, founding the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; while Jim Bouton’s controversial memoir, Ball Four, changed the culture narrative of the game.
Kapner’s collection tributes Seattle’s great baseball heritage, which continues to inspire and link the fans to the past. It reminds all who will consider the game’s everlasting influence and who shaped it, providing a portal into a place that maintains and celebrates baseball’s legacy.
