When I decided to write a book about the Seattle Pilots, I did a tremendous amount of research because I felt that I had to know everything in order to draw a conclusion. It's a complicated story with no clear or easy answers to why the team moved. The more I learned, the more I felt that this was a story that needed a human face. Poring through box upon box of court records gave me the facts, but I eventually decided to track down the principals and hear the story from them.

Throughout 1993-4, I interviewed many of the people involved in the Pilots story. You might note that there are no players included here. That's because my book was to be about why the team moved and that was out of the players' control. Eventually, though, I intend to expand this section to include their stories as well.

I've been holding back these interviews as the cornerstone of my book, but recently decided to permanently shelve that project, so I feel that it's time to share these interviews. Over the next year, I will be adding to this section extensively. It's a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a major league baseball team and, while some of the intereviews are a bit long, I'm sure that you will find them worthwhile reading. In addition to my interviews, I will be posting excerpts from depositions in the State of Washington's lawsuit against baseball, including those from many of the American League owners and notables including current Commissioner, Bud Selig, who took the Pilots to Milwaukee and former AL president and Hall of Famer, Joe Cronin.

The Interviews:

  • Jerry McNaul (Co-counsel in the case against Major League Baseball)
  • Max Soriano (Pilots owner)
  • Bill Dwyer (Lead attorney in case against Major League Baseball)
  • Bill Sears (Pilots public relations director)
  • Sidney Volinn (Judge in Pilots bankruptcy case)
  • Dewey Soriano (Pilots owner)
  • Fred Danz (Local businessman who tried to buy the Pilots)
  • Dave Cohn (Member of the Domed Stadium commission)
  • Buzzie Bavasi (Former Dodgers GM who wanted an expansion team for Seattle)
  • Albert Rosellini (Former governor of Washington State)
  • Emmett Watson (Longtime Seattle newspaper columnist)
  • Fred Brack (Journalist who covered trial against Major League Baseball)
  • Frank Ruano (Self-appointed domed stadium watchdog)
  • Frank Greif (Pilots radio producer)
  • Tom Berg (Pilots minor league pitcher)
  • Don Young (General manager of the Pilots' minor league team in Newark, NY)