John Humphries, a left handed catcher played for the 1884 Washingtons of the American Association. He was born in North Gower, Ontario, Canada, 12 November 1861, and attended Cornell University from 1880 to 1882. In 1883 he signed with the New York Gothams. He was their backup catcher behind the talented and popular Buck Ewing. …
Oct 31
Bud “Zipper the Ripper” Zipfel, a.k.a. “The Belleville Belter,”
Belleville, Illinois’ Bud “Zipper the Ripper” Zipfel, a.k.a. “The Belleville Belter,” Denied MLB Pension and Health Insurance My book tells the true story about a group of former big-league ballplayers denied pensions as a result of the failure of both the league and the union to retroactively amend the vesting requirement change that granted instant …
Oct 30
Strikeout Kings
Washington has a new generation of Strikeout King’s. The past generation of free swingers like Don Lock, Frank Howard and Jim Lemon did not stand a chance against the onslaught of the Next Generation of uninhibited swinging strikeout artists. The top ten Washington Strikeout Kings Year Strikeouts 1. Dunn, Adam 2010 199 2. Espinosa, Danny …
Oct 29
The Japanese Connection
With Sandy now moving into the area, we hope everyone is safe and that we can all ride this out. Many years back I saw reference to the Toyko Senators. This documents some of the links between the Senators and Japan. Toyko Senators One of the charter members of the Japanese Professional baseball League, formed …
Oct 27
Mr. Daily comes to Washington
Hugh Daily is better known as “One Arm” Daily although to be fair he had two arms, just no left hand. Having it shot off in his youth while playing around with a loaded musket. Born in Ireland and raised in Baltimore, Daily was an extremely talented twirler, having great speed and a devastating curveball. …
Oct 25
Ranking Zimmerman
Washington has had a host of steady third basemen over the years. In 2005 the Nationals drafted and quickly signed Ryan Zimmerman. In 2013 he will be entering his ninth year with the team. During that time he has hit 153 home runs and has a batting average of .287. In his eight seasons, Zimmerman …
Oct 23
A List of Living Members of Mickey Vernon’s Horsehide Club
With the recent passing of Eddie Yost the list of the Living Members of “Mickey Vernon’s Horsehide Club” has been updated. For a donation of $24.95 (the digits represent the number of career hits Mickey Vernon had) to the Mickey Vernon Museum, you can get a copy of the 11″ x 17″ print shown below, along with a …
Oct 23
Henry Moore, Man of Mystery
Moore remains a mystery, his life and death cloaked from our view. Even the dedicated sleuths of the Society for American Baseball Research have been unable to locate him. When I first read the Baseball Encyclopedia many years back I was amazed to discover a rookie who batted .336 in his first season. And that …
Oct 19
The Year I Got to Be 11 Again
I got to be 11, all over again this summer, thanks to the greatest season in Washington Nationals history, and my boy, Mark. Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, baseball was not a huge part of my life. When I was 11, in 1975, I could still remember the Senators and their move to …
Oct 17
It was a Great Run
Notes on the past season. After the game we received an email from our friend Dave, an avid Nationals fan. Dave writing, “They came up short but it was a hell of a run. I’m sad but never really expected it this year. Go Nats 2013.” It was a great run, no doubt about that. …
