March 2012 archive

This Day in D.C. Baseball History – The Early Days

Thomas Francis Evers born on 31 March Evers was born 31 March 1852 in Troy New York. Perhaps better known for being the uncle of Johnny Evers, Thomas was a well regarded player in his era, often batting second. In 1881 he played second base for the Washington Nationals. One year later he played one …

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1969 Senators Spring Training — Bob Short Meets Texas Tom Vandergriff

1969 Washington Senators Spring Training: Bob Short Suddenly Books Two Games in Texas 5th of a 5 part series Once Frank Howard signed his contract and joined his teammates in Pompano Beach, the Washington Senators felt whole again. The club won their first game with Hondo in the line-up as the “designated pinch hitter.” Washington …

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Opening Day in Washington “Throwing Out the First Ball”

I’d like to discuss a Washington baseball tradition that, unfortunately, in my opinion, has been lost “in the sands of time.” The ceremonial first pitch was a long-standing tradition at Griffith Stadium and later at DC (RFK) Stadium in Washington DC. This tradition began in 1910 with President William Howard Taft “throwing out the first …

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Selbach’s Secret Weapon

Albert Karl “Kip” Selbach is one of the early stars for Washington. He is one of a few who played for the District’s National and American League franchises. In his seven years of service with Washington Kip amassed 921 hits. On 27 April 1903, Boston comes into town to play three games against Washington. So …

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This Date in Washington Senators History

March 27 Senators Birthdays John Wesley Gill B Mar. 27, 1905 D Dec. 26, 1984 Outfielder Johnny Gill would play for 3 teams over 6 seasons and only play in a grand total of 118 games. First coming to the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians in late August of 1927, Gill would appear in …

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Marty Niland will be one of the guest bloggers at MASNsports.com for 2012 season

MASNsports.com announced this morning the Guest Bloggers will return for 2012 season. I am extremely pleased that MASNsports.com has invited D.C. Baseball History.com’s Marty Niland to be one of five guest bloggers. Joining Marty will be returning guest writers Dave Nichols from District Sports Page, Will Yoder and Joe Drugan from The Nats Blog and …

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This Date in Washington Senators History

March 26 Senators Birthdays Frank Williard Brower B Mar. 26, 1893 D Nov. 20, 1960 Arriving in the major leagues with the Senators in mid-August of 1920, outfielder/1st baseman Frank Brower would appear in 36 games hitting .311. Brower would play in 83 games for the Senators in 1921 and would have the most active …

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Sunday Baseball

For many of us Sunday baseball means a game under the sun not the lights. But it was not always so, back in time baseball on Sunday was prohibited. Laws varied by jurisdiction so some teams could get around the laws by playing in another city or neighboring state. On 11 September 1898, a Sunday, …

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This Date in Washington Senators History

March 25 Senators Birthdays Woodson George (Woodie) Held B Mar. 25, 1932 D June 11, 2009 Another “baseball nomad”, utilityman Woodie Held would play for 7 different teams during 14 seasons in a career that spanned 16 years. Only 1 of those seasons would be spent with the Senators. Originally signed by the New York …

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This Date in Washington Senators History

March 24 Senators Birthdays Augustin Joseph (Gus) Dugas B Mar. 24, 1907 D Apr. 14, 1997 Outfielder, and occasional 1st baseman, Gus Dugas played for 4 seasons with 3 different teams, appearing in a grand total of 125 games. Beginning his short tour of the major leagues in 1930 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dugas would …

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