I remember a chilly spring afternoon about twenty-two years ago, when I stepped into one of the many souvenir stores in Wrigleyville, Chicago’s nostalgic neighborhood intimately linked to Wrigley Field and baseball, while wearing my letterman-style jacket that sported a big curly W on the chest and the word “Senators” sewed on the back. Most Chicagoans had little to say about the jacket I enjoyed wearing to honor the memories of my favorite American League team, or might only mention that Frank Howard played for Washington. But on this day, someone approved the minute I entered the store. He identified himself as a former Washingtonian who currently lived in Memphis, but had experienced the honor of growing up a Senators fan — and attending the last Senators’ home opener on April 4, 1971, when the Nats snapped a fourteen-game losing streak dating back to the season before by defeating the seemingly unbeatable Vida Blue and the Oakland Athletics.
At last! Someone I could rap with who felt the same as I did about the good old days of Washington baseball. Finally, someone who knew a more than that Frank Howard played for the Senators, and someone who didn’t mistakenly identify the Washington Senators as the fall-guy team that played victim to the Harlem Globetrotters.
After about a thirty-minute conversation about the days of yore of Washington baseball, I walked away with a smile. You bet I enjoyed the moment, and as I went on my way, I thought about how nice it would be to be a part of a group of baseball history buffs who appreciated those long ago days and might want to get together to talk about
Jim French
the Washington Senators. Little did I know that one day my wish would be granted in the form of the D.C. Baseball History Annual Meeting.
On Saturday, February 27, 2016, at the Hilton Garden Hotel in Bethesda, I attended the fourth D.C. Baseball History Annual Meeting. I had the pleasure of being a hotel ballroom with over one hundred Washington baseball fans who, like myself, were craving to reminisce about the heyday of the Washington Senators. And to add to the nostalgia fest, we received the honor of having three guest speakers, in the persons of former Senators catcher Jim French, former Washington sportswriter Russ White, and a former major league player who grew up in Northern Virginia, Mike Wallace. Also present were the usual attendees: Mark Hornbaker the founder of the website D.C. Baseball History, and the man who founded this fine organization; Jim Hartley, head of the Washington Historical Society and editor of Nats News; George Case III, son of former Washington All-Star outfielder George Case; Hank Thomas, Walter Johnson’s grandson and author of the book, Walter Johnson: Baseball’s Big Train.
The D.C. History Annual Meeting members are a baseball-savvy group of Senators fans who help keep the spirit and remembrance of an important part of Washington sports history alive. They talk about those good old days of Washington Senators baseball, from watching Frank Howard in action to following the games in the new spapers to collecting baseball cards, serves as a reminder of childhood, brings back fond memories and recaptures the magic of our childhood. It takes us back to the time of innocence from our childhoods and gives us a heartwarming feeling of comfort. The D.C. Baseball History Annual Meeting gives us all those good memories that we always cherish and hold on forever.
Thank you to everyone who attends the D.C. Baseball History Annual Meeting. Thankyou for making that desire I had on that chilly Chicago day twenty-two years ago a reality.
Mark Hornbaker
Mike Wallace
Russ White
Gary Sarnoff, Jim French, Russ White, Fred Valentine
Russ White, Ernie Kyger, Fred Valentine, and Jim French
