Baseball in D.C.

Washington Senators (1961-1971)

admin — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Nationals fans and baseball enthusiasts who wish to learn more about the sport would do well to investigate the history and legacy of the Washington Senators. Learning more about the rich history of baseball, the teams and athletes that had the biggest impact and the moments that fans will never forget can do much to improve you understanding and appreciation of the sport you love. With access to the right sites and the educational opportunities that they will be able to provide, discovering the rich history of the team and the way they changed the sport can be far easier to do.The full explanation can be found at http://videogameblogreviews.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/backyard-baseball/

Fans who limit themselves to just the contemporary teams and players may be missing out on far more than they might realize. The contributions, games and memorable moments that have helped to make the game of baseball what it is today may be well worth the time and effort needed to explore. For serious fans and those with a passion for the sport, delving a little deeper into the teams, competitors and major events of the past few decades can be an exciting and rewarding opportunity that should not be discounted or otherwise left overlooked.

Washington Senators (1901-1960)

admin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

While Washington may have been first in the hearts of his countrymen, the Washington Senators were often last in the American League. This little sarcastic piece of folk lore traces back to the 1940 and 1950s when the franchise managed six last place records in the American League.

The franchise does have a storied history. The Washington Senators franchise was one of the original eight that made up the American League in 1901. The team had an early rough start with a 113 loss season in 1904. This prompted a name change to the "Nationals" in 1905 which didn’t seem to improve the teams play. From 1905 to 1956, the team was officially known as the Nationals although many fans still referred to the franchise as the Senators.

Troubles struck the club again in 1911 when its ballpark burned. The new field, ultimately called Griffith Stadium, was built.

From 1911 through the 1920s, the Senators strung together a number of winning seasons. Manager Clark Griffith, along with pitching ace Walter Johnson, strung together a number of solid years on the field. In 1924, Griffith traded in the manager uniform for part ownership of the team. In 1924, with Bucky Harris as field manager, the Washington Senators won the World Series.

The Senators maintained a winning tradition through the next decade with an appearance in the 1933 World Series where they lost to the New York Giants in five games. The years that followed brought a combination of slumping attendance and lackluster performance.

The team’s ownership was inherited by Calvin Griffith when Clark Griffith died in 1955. He moved the franchise to Minnesota after the 1960 season where it continues to operate as the Minnesota Twins.

Washington Senators (1891-1899)

admin — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Washington Senators were Washington D.C.’s first professional baseball team. They were first called the Washington Statesmen, and the more modern and current inception of the team is the Washington Nationals.

The Senators was originated in 1891 in the American Association, where it was known as the Washington Statesmen in 1891. The American Association was disbanded following the 1891 season, and the team was then bought by Philadelphia businessman J. Earl Wagner, who remained the team’s owner through 1899.

The Statesmen transitioned to the National League at the beginning of the 1892 season and were renamed as the Senators. The Senators did not have a strong record in their nine year franchise run. They never had a winning season and earned a disappointing winning percentage of just 0.366. Despite their awful record, the Senators did boast some famous players, including Deacon McGuire and Hall of Famer left fielder Jim O’Rourke.

The National League downsized from twelve teams to eight teams following the 1899 season, and the Senators did not make the cut, likely in part due to their dismal record.

What’s New at Nationals Park

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

What’s New at Nationals Park

Near the capitol, nestled in Washington is the home for baseball: Nationals Park. National’s park offers a wide verity of options, as well as activities for fans. The new park features highly crafted architecture, as well as a mixture of specially hosted activities. Newly offered at Nationals Park are personal, and public tours. These tours allow fans to experience the entire park for themselves, as well as get a feel for the stunning layout of Nationals Park. These tours take place on game days, as well as non game days. Nationals Park is not solely used as a baseball park, but hosts many meetings, and conventions. A wide vast area of space, as well as parking options, Nationals Park takes many conventions under its wing. Nationals Park is now offering catering to specific hosted events, such as: brunch buffets, general concessions, bagged lunches, hors doeuvers, fruit and vegetable trays, desserts, and even three-course meals. Specific amenities are provided when one rents out such a space for an event. Valet parking, wireless, tours, mega tron video, and professional audio are all options one has when planning their event. Baseball games allow fans to experience a fresh, exciting game for all ages in the new Nationals Park.

The Greatest Expos/Nationals in Franchise History

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Washington Nationals have only been in existence since 2005, after changing their name from the Montreal Expos. The best palyers so far, in the Nationals short existence, have been Ryan Zimmerman, Ivan Rodriguiez, and Jason Werth. Nick Johnson was aquired from the New York Yankees, but never produced as he was projected to by baseball analysts. Before 2005 the Nationals were originated from the Montreal Expos, which were started in 1969 as a new Major League Baseball franchise. Two players that started their careers with the Expos and ended up with different teams were Andre Dawson and Gary Carter. Both of these players have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. These two players were the greatest Expos of all time. In the next best tier of greates Expos would be Tim Raines, Andes Galarragga, Pedro Martinez, and Vladimir Guerrero. Pedro Martinez was the only Expo to win the Cy Young Award, which is given to the best pitcher in the National League for that particular season. The last tier of all time best Expos in franchise history would be Ron Fairly, Marquis Grissom, Larry Walker, Steve Rogers and Manny Mota. Steve Rogers and Gary Carter were Rookies of the Year in their respective first years in the Major Leagues. Although the Expos had some very good players thru the years, they never had a number of good players at the same time.

Nationals Season Outlook

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

It would be easy to say the Nationals might be in much better shape at this point in the season if certain major pieces of their organization had performed as expected. If Stephen Strasburg hadn’t gotten injured last season and missed all of this year. If Jim Riggleman hadn’t abruptly quit as manager earlier in the year. If Ryan Zimmerman hadn’t missed two full months after abdominal surgery. If Jason Werth weren’t hitting .224 with just 45 RBIs. These things weren’t expected and can be offered as reasons why the team has fallen below .500 over the course of the season.

But the real story in Washington is the future, and perhaps the very near future. Strasburg is back on the mound and looking strong in his comeback from surgery. Bryce Harper has baseball buzzing with his phenomenal performance in the minors so far, and may make it very difficult for the team not to bring him to Washington to start next season. Michael Morse and Danny Espinosa have emerged as big-time contributors at the Major League level.

With Strasburg back, Zimmerman healthy, and Werth performing closer to his norms, the Nats will be a team to watch in 2012.

Reasons to GO to a Nationals Game

www.baseballindc.com — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

You may be planning on watching all the Nationals- games on your DIRECT TV this season but we suggest making it to at least one game, if you can. There-s nothing like taking in 9 innings at a ball park and here are a few of the reasons why
Hotdogs ” Is there anything better than stadium food? Sure it costs an arm and a leg but a baseball game hotdog is always steamy, hot and about as delicious as anything you-ll ever eat. You can-t replicate this experience so get out to the field.
Fly Ball ” Only at the stadium will you have the legitimate opportunity to catch a fly ball. For your best chance, get a seat behind home plate or just to the left of the right-field foul pole. If all else fails, try and catch a T-shirt from the cannon!
The Atmosphere ” Sure it-s great watching the game in the comfort of your living room with Uncle Joe but there-s nothing like being in a stadium with thousands upon thousands of like-minded fans. The smells, the soundsbaseball at its finest.
Go Nationals!

Werth the Money?

www.baseballindc.com — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Before you take the title too condescendingly, let it be known how refreshing it is to actually see the Artists Formerly Known As the Expos finally taking consistent steps to shell out enough cash to not only keep their own talent, but bring in valuable free agents from across the league. From Adam Dunn, to actually signing Strasburg (something many pundits were quite skeptical about once upon a time), now giving Jayson Werth a massive 7-year, 126 million deal.And it’s not to say Werth isn’t a fine player, even if a relatively late bloomer in his major league career. At 31, Werth has hit at least 24 homers in 3 straight season, including a career high 36 in 2009, while swiping 20 bags in two of those campaigns. A former first round pick by the Baltimore Orioles, Werth struggled earlier in his major league efforts as a result of injuries, attempting to play through the pain and ultimately missing time, the entire 2006 season in fact. He quickly rose to prominence, however, after signing a 1-year contract with the Phillies, moving into a starting role within the first few months of the season, winning a World Series title by year’s end. In 2009, Werth followed up his breakout campaign with a truly career year earning his first All-Star nod. Though 2010 was not as prolific, the fact that a free agent of Werth’s caliber is willing to come to the Nationals is certainly a sign the club is moving in the right direction.Still, for the same 7-years and just 15 million more, wouldn’t most fans agree Carl Crawford (who’s two years younger) is a much better acquisition. A 4-time All-Star/stolen base champion, Gold Glover, SilverSlugger, what-have you, Crawford represents the struggle still facing the Nationals organization. Though moving in the right direction, they still must overpay to an extent to get desirable players to take a chance on the organization. The Nats still lack the name of, say, the Red Sox (Crawford’s landing spot) to lure the biggest names with anything other than a paycheck. We may not be where we want to be yet, but have hope; things are getting better.

Tommy John Surgery, What Will it Mean?

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:46:38 +0000

Tommy John Surgery is thrown around a lot in baseball circles. So common is the phrase one might think it’s as natural as natural as say LASIK eye surgery in the off season (which can also have complications mind you). Though while LASIK eye surgery should certainly improve a player’s play, at least in theory (cough Nate McLouth cough), Tommy John Surgery is a recovery effort to salvage promising arms from a career threatening injury. Of course, there are several cases in which pitchers return from the procedure throwing at higher velocities than they enjoyed prior to going under the knife. In fact, some parents of younger pitchers have tried to have the surgery performed on their children in an effort to boost performance, even when the kid hasn’t suffered from any form of injury. Is it possible then that Stephen Strasburg, who is likely to find himself at the business end of a scalpel in the coming months, could enjoy a bump in his already physics redefining velocity? To be honest, it’s highly improbable that a post-surgery Strasburg could conceivably top out at anything faster than his blazing 103 mph pre-surgery fastball. Baseballs simply aren’t meant to travel at such high speeds unless shooting off the sweet spot of a big league bat. Many doctors suggest that any increased velocity is more the result of a heightened focus on conditioning and training. Strasburg should consider his self lucky if he is still able to approach his chart topping high end speeds 12 months from now. Of course, relying less on his velocity could make the youngster a better pitcher, forcing him to learn to pitch more shrewdly, less dependent on pure power.While Tommy John Surgery isn’t nearly as unpredictable as it was when Tommy John first braved the procedure in 1974, it is still far from routine. Experts estimate that just under 90 of all pitchers who chance the surgery enjoy a full recovery. Still the risk of complication is there, and any time you are rolling the dice on a multimillion dollar asset, it’s best fans in Washington keep their fingers crossed just for good measure. But with a little luck, and a lot of hard work on the part of Strasburg, Cooperstown is not out of the question one day, should the baseball gods so smile in his direction.

The Original Nationals

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:24:19 +0000

When the Montreal Expos relocated the nation’s capital in 2005, after narrowly surviving a contraction bid along with the Minnesota Twins, a host of names were considered for the city’s newest franchise. Among the first to be tossed around was the “Washington Senators,” the most prominent nickname of the American League team that called D.C. home from the turn of the century all the way up until 1960. The name “Senators,” however, proved both controversial and unattainable. Some local politicians in the Washington area objected to the name because the District of Columbia does not have a vote in the Senate, believing such a name would be technically incorrect and ultimately misleading. Official ownership rights to the name “Senators” was perhaps the biggest hurdle, as the Texas Rangers, known as the Senators prior to their western relocation, still retained the rights to the name. While Major League Baseball inquired as to the rights of purchasing the name, negotiations were unsuccessful. Instead, fans and decision makers dug deeper into baseball history, where they soon found the Washington Nationals, a less storied National League team that took the field from 1886 to 1889.The name Nationals had been used in several instances prior to the 1886, first in 1982, when a team dubbed the Nationals took the field as part of the National Association, a league predating what we now know as Major League Baseball. New versions of the Nationals appeared on 3 other separate occasions, when new Nationals joined the National Association in 1975, a 3^rd Nationals squad played as part of the Union Association in 1884, and yet another Nationals team joined the American Association that same year. The National League Nationals were the longest tenured club bearing the current franchise banner, with striking similarities in on-field performance as well. In their 4 year existence, the team won at just a .326 clip, enduring 6 different managers. Yes, the Washington Nationals have a history many fans are unaware of, unfortunately for the Nationals faithful, the losing legacy is more of the same.