Jeffrey Stuart

Author's posts

Not Caring If We Ever Get Back

By Jeff Stuart In the June 13, 1967 edition of the Washington Star Morris Siegel reported that a fan from Silver Spring had called the Senators’ public relations department that morning. “Please, please tell her (his wife) the game went 22 innings and didn’t end until nearly 3:00 A.M,” he pleaded. When told it was …

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Denny McLain In Washington

After winning 86 games in 1969 under first year Manager Ted Williams, the Senators won just 70 in 1970. Attendance dropped from 918,106 in ’69 to 824,789. Nats owner Bob Short felt he had to make a move. So at the end of the 1970 season, the Senators traded popular shortstop Brinkman, and third baseman …

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From 1965 to 1969, Kenny McMullen Gave the Senators a Boost

By Jeff StuartOn Jun 29, 1963; The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they had recalled infielder Ken McMullen from Spokane to replace Don Zimmer who had recently been traded to the Washington Senators.McMullen signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers upon graduation from Oxnard High School. He was one of the last of baseball’s bonus babies.His …

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George “Bingo” Binks and His Day in the Sun

By Jeff StuartThere have been 4 World Series involving a Washington Baseball Team, in 1924, 1925, 1933, and 2019. Washington won the first and last of these. But there could have been another. In 1945, the year I was born, the team was competitive and was in the battle for first place. Major League rosters …

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At the Ballpark, Nixon was Unimpeachable

By Jeff Stuart Far from the highs and lows of a tumultuous life in politics, Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, found refuge at the ballpark. As a kid I saw the then Vice President several times walking in what passed for a concourse at Griffith Stadium. To me, his smile seemed …

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Young Phenoms, Now and Then

By Jeff Stuart and Phil Hochberg Every club has hopes on opening day of the baseball season. It is a similar kind of hope and sense of renewal that takes place when a highly regarded young prospect makes his major league debut. But you never know. The play’s the thing. On April 28, 2011, Bryce …

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Gil Hodges in Washington

By Jeff Stuart It was fifty odd years ago today Gil Hodges taught the gang to play. The legendary Dodger great Gil Hodges, acquired from the New York Mets in return for outfielder Jim Piersall, took over the helm of the Senators just 40 games into the 1963 Season. While the club lost a franchise …

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Don Zimmer-66 Years-Just Baseball

By Jeff StuartDon Zimmer was there to witness so much baseball history and is indelibly linked to it. He was one of the last two players alive to have played with Jackie Robinson. He was on the 1955 Dodgers World Series Championship team. “When Yogi hit the ball down the left-field line,” said Zimmer with …

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Pearson and Allison, Back to Back Rookies of the Year

By Jeff Stuart When Albie Pearson won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1958 and Bob Allison followed suit in 1959, Washington became the first American League team to have players win the award in back to back years. It was not until 30 years later that another AL team accomplished the feat. Jose …

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Steve Hamilton, From the Nats to the “Folly Floater.”

By Jeff StuartOn June 24, 1970 two of Yankee Steve Hamilton‘s “Folly Floater” pitches retired Cleveland’s Tony Horton, a very good hitter, at the Bronx in New York to end the top of the 9th. That earned him a place in baseball history. The Yankees trailed the Indians badly and had no chance of beating …

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