Part 2 of a Series After the owners and players reached a deal that ended the spring strike of 1969, Senators’ players arrived in Pompano Beach to meet their new celebrity manager, Ted Williams. Outside of Washington, where the common reaction was joy that Teddy Ballgame had joined Vince Lombardi in Washington, giving fans hope …
Feb 25
This Date in Washington Senators History
February 25 Senators Birthdays James Millard Hayes B Feb. 25, 1912 D Nov. 27, 1963 Senators Short Timer Jim Hayes would be on the Senators roster for almost 1 month in July and August of 1935. Pitching in 7 games, Hayes would post a 2-4 record and depart the Senators, and the majors, with an …
Feb 24
This Date in Washington Senators History
February 24 Senators Birthdays James Champlin Osteen B Feb. 24, 1877 D Dec. 14, 1962 Shortstop Champ Osteen joined the Washington Senators in mid-September of 1903 after being drafted from Davenport of the Three-I (Indiana-Illinois-Iowa) League. Appearing in 10 games for the Senators, Osteen would be 8-40 at bat with 2 triples and 4 RBIs. …
Feb 23
Jim Hartley is the newest contributor at D.C. Baseball Yesterday and Today
I am very pleased to announce that the one and only Jim Hartley will be our newest contributor at D.C. Baseball Yesterday and Today. I am personally very excited to have Jim share his wonderful stories about D.C. baseball history with us. So you can learn a little bit about Jim Hartley I am going …
Feb 23
This Date in Washington Senators History
February 23 Senators Birthdays Today we add to the ranks of “Senators Short Timers” with 3 players who collectively would play in less than 300 games in a Senators uniform. Robert Anthony Boken B Feb. 23, 1908 D Oct. 6, 1988 Infielder Bob Boken joined the Senators in April of 1933 as a 25 year …
Feb 22
Big Train’s Throw Across the Rappahannock River
February 22, 1936 Fredericksburg, Virginia To celebrate George Washington’s 204th birthday the town of Fredericksburg planned a daylong celebration. To cap off the day the city invited baseball legend Walter Johnson to duplicate George Washington’s legendary throw of a silver dollar across the Rappahannock River. As the story goes U.S. Rep. Sol Bloom, D-N.Y. believed …
Feb 22
This Date in Washington Senators History
February 22 Senators Birthdays Rinold George Duren, Jr. B Feb. 21, 1929 Still Living Almost everyone of a certain age remembers Ryne Duren-the “Coke bottle” glasses, his reputation for wildness and hard throwing and his wild-partying ways. Duren was first signed by the St. Louis Browns before the 1949 season. By the time he made …
Feb 22
A few of my favorite stories from last season
Last year I was invited by Pete Kerzel at MASN to be part of MASNsports.com’s season-long initiative to welcome guest bloggers. Here are few of my favorites. I hope you like them please keep in mind these stories were written last summer. Mark Hornbaker: You never know what will happen at a game By Mark …
Feb 21
This Date in Washington Senators History
February 21 1969 Ted Williams returns to baseball full-time, signing a five-year contract to manage the Washington Senators. Senators Birthdays Joseph Anthony Foy B Feb. 21, 1943 D Oct. 12, 1989 Originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins before the start of the 1962 season, Joe Foy would be drafted by the Boston Red Sox in …
Feb 20
Could This Be The Nats’ Last Spring in Viera?
Spring training is under way for the Nationals, with pitchers and catchers reporting this weekend. But will this be the team’s last Grapefruit League season at Space Coast Stadium in Viera? According to several media reports, the Nationals are looking at some new options as they move closer to contention in the National League East. …
