Lane: Baseball versus the Volcano: Mount St. Helens, the Spokane Indians, and the dogged Gonzaga Bulldogs
From SABR member Amanda Lane at Lookout Landing on May 18, 2020:
On March 20th, 1980 Mount St. Helens woke up.
A 4.1 earthquake on the northwest sector of the mountain triggered massive avalanches on the north side of the mountain and daily news coverage that would not abate for years. The perfectly symmetrical mountain had been napping since 1857. No one alive knew what an active St. Helens was capable of.
The first eruption burst forth on March 27th. The mountain continued to shake and spew small eruptions. At the end of April, a bulge was spotted on the north slope. Geologists and loggers working in the area kept watch as the bulge continued to grow.
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Despite the ash in the air and the disruption of flights, the Mariners had no trouble flying back to Seattle after their game in Chicago. They were joined by the Brewers, coming off a series in Minnesota. The Kingdome’s shelter from the elements and the Seattle area’s relatively minimal fallout from the eruption did not affect baseball there in the least.
This was not the case for the Mariners’ AAA team. The Spokane Indians were finishing a 16-game road trip with a series in Vancouver B.C. on May 18th.
Read the full article here: https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2020/5/18/21261337/baseball-volcano-mount-st-helens-mariners-spokane-indians-gonzaga
Originally published: May 18, 2020. Last Updated: May 18, 2020.