Even during early and mid-twentieth centuries, the Hollywood Stars were indeed a Minor League Baseball club that competed inside the Pacific Coast League. They have been the arch-rivals of a Los Angeles Angels, its other PCL team headquartered in Los Angeles.
The Sacramento Solons, a founder member of both the Pacific Coast League, were the initial iteration of a Hollywood Stars, which commenced play in 1903. In 1904, the team relocated to Tacoma, Washington, and claimed the pennant as that of the Tacoma Tigers. The club remained to Sacramento to complete the 1905 season, but relocated to Fresno in 1906 to place last as that of the Fresno Raisin Eaters, before leaving the PCL entirely.
In 1909, the Sacramento Solons returned to the PCL, and in 1914, they relocated to San Francisco, where they finished the season as the San Francisco Missions. For the 1915 season, the organization was sold to Utah industrialist Bill “Hardpan” Lane as well as relocated to Salt Lake City. For the following 11 seasons, they were known as that of the Salt Lake City Bees, after Lane relocated the club to Los Angeles for such 1926 season. The Hollywood Bees became their original moniker, however they quickly changed it all to the Hollywood Stars.
The original Stars, although pretending to represent Hollywood, tried playing their home matches at Wrigley Field in South Los Angeles as tenants of the Los Angeles Angels.
Despite winning pennants in 1929 as well as 1930, the Stars never acquired a large fan base because they played their home games outside of the fashionable Hollywood sector. When the Angels were on the road, they were just a team to keep an eye on. The first year of their existence, in 1926, had a high level of attendance (by today’s standards), although attendance began to decline following that, exacerbated by that of the Great Depression.
So when Angels quadrupled the Stars’ rent following the 1935 season, Lane announced that the Stars would relocate to San Diego for the 1936 season, becoming the San Diego Padres. For such 1936 and 1937 seasons, Los Angeles was once again a one-team city.
Pitcher Rinaldo Ardizoia, who became the longest living former member of the New York Yankees until he died on July 19, 2015, was indeed a noteworthy performer for such Hollywood Stars. Before even being selected by that of the Yankees in 1940, he relocated to Los Angeles well with Mission Reds as well as subsequently entered the starting lineup of the Hollywood Stars. Gail Patrick gave him a rabbit’s foot, which he kept in his enormous collection of souvenirs.
Gus Bell, Bobby Bragan, Bobby Doerr, Gene Freese, Babe Herman, Dale Long, Bill Mazeroski, Bob Meusel, Lefty O’Doul, Mel Queen, Dick Stuart, Lee Walls, as well as Gus Zernial were among several future Major League Baseball stars who appeared for the Hollywood Stars. Bragan, Jimmy Dykes, Fred Haney, and Charlie Root were among the team’s managers.