John Barnes (baseball manager)

John Sloane Barnes (August 30, 1855 – September 15, 1929) was a Minor League Baseball manager,^[1] athlete, promoter, and proponent of physical fitness.

Born in Ireland, Barnes organized the Pacific Northwest League in 1890, the first professional baseball league in the region.^[2] In that same year, he led the Spokane team to the Pacific Northwest League pennant. After managing the Portland Webfeet in 1892, he played a key role in the reorganization of the Western League, which later became the American League, before devoting a decade to the promotion of physical fitness in China. In 1909, Barnes returned to manage the Butte Miners in Montana, and in 1915 operated the Aberdeen Black Cats franchise.^[3] Barnes is interred at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park in Seattle, Washington.