First posted December of 2012. Last fall I went to the Rockville Union Cemetery to take some pictures of Walter Johnson’s grave site for a future story. This was the first time in forty years I visited the site where Walter Perry Johnson and his wife Hazel Lee Johnson are buried. During my visit at …
Tag: Walter Johnson
Mar 08
Better Late Than Never
March 8, 1915 Charlottesville, VA Walter Johnson arrived a day later than expected to the Washington Senators training camp. Instead of being upset with Johnson the Senators’ owners were delighted to see him. With Johnson’s arrival to camp it left no doubt that he was going to pitch for the Senators this season. That wasn’t …
Feb 27
This Date in Washington Senators History – Walter Johnson has Surgery
February 27 1908 In Fullerton, California, Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson is operated on for an infection of themastoid area behind the right ear. The doctors remove a section of the bone, and the recuperation will keep Johnson sidelined until late May. Despite his late start in the season, Johnson (See November 6th birthdays.) will …
Feb 22
Big Train’s Throw Across the Rappahannock River
February 22, 1936 Originally posted on Feb,22, 2008 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. …
Dec 10
Walter Johnson – Gone But Not Forgotten
On this day in 1946, Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Perry Johnson succumbs to a brain tumor. The 59 year-old Johnson was diagnosed with the brain tumor eight months earlier when he traveled from his farm in Germantown to the Georgetown University Hospital complaining of severe headaches. The news about Johnson’s death was not a …
Apr 22
Almost Perfect – Big Train’s No Hitter
As most of you know by now Phil Humber of the Chicago White Sox tossed a perfect game yesterday. Humber’s perfect game was the 21st perfect game in Major League history. This morning I wanted to see how close Washington’s Walter Johnson came to pitching a perfect game during his July 1, 1920 no-hit game …
Apr 02
“Wait’ll next year and hope?” Nope. Nats fans demand more
Baseball is said to be a timeless game. The rhythm of the game and the season bring generations together, and phrases like ‘Bang! Zoom!’ and ‘See you later!’ take on a special meaning around here every spring, summer and fall. Year after year, we pack the ballpark, gather around the television, tune in to broadcasts, …
May 08
A Nats fan’s response to a youngster in search of a team
You may have heard the story of Pete Van Vleet of Ashland, Virginia, who wrote to every major league team, asking each to make a case for his newborn son, Jack, to be their fan. The 42-year-old Richmond native, a former colleague at The Associated Press, did not have a home team to root for …
Jun 17
Telegram for Mr. Johnson
Before Walter Johnson was known as the Big Train, he was the Weiser Wonder. In the summer of 1907, Walter Johnson was pitching for the Weiser “semi-pro” team in the Idaho State League. The 19-year old hurler was so dominating that he caught the attention of many Major League scouts from the east. On June …
Jun 13
Streaks to remember: Stras and the Big Train
Stephen Strasburg has been in great company while streaking through this season, blowing past franchise marks for consecutive victories set by Pedro Martinez, Dennis Martinez and Livan Hernandez, and matching Jake Arietta for the major league lead in wins. If that’s not enough, the Nationals star now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with arguably the greatest pitcher of …
