UNLESS YOU'RE PACKIN' AN AARP CARD, OR ARE A SPORTS JUNKY, YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF BASEBALL HISTORY IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL, YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MORE "SENATORS" IN WASHINGTON, DC THAN CAPITOL HILL HAS FOR EACH STATE.
...MANY A BASEBALL FAN POPULATED AROUND THE D.C. METRO REGION, (AND MANY GLOBALLY), GLEEFULLY EXPLODED, GOING BALLISTIC, WHEN THEIR NATIONALS MADE HISTORY FINISHING ATOP MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL...THE 2019 SEASON WAS THE FIRST SUCH OCCASION THE LOCALS HAD A REASON TO SHOW OFF ABOUT A WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP IN ALMOST A CENTENNIAL...THE HOOPLA WAS THE 115TH EDITION OF THE "FALL CLASSIC"...THE LAST D.C. TEAM TO MAKE SUCH A RUCKUS WAS IN THE 22ND EDITION IN 1924, WHEN EVEN PRESIDENT, "SILENT" CAL COOLIDGE "RAISED THE ROOF OFF" THE WHITE HOUSE.. ...THEY WERE THE SECOND GROUP OF SENATORS THAT WOULD CONVENE WITH BATS AND GLOVES IN 1901 IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE...
...THOSE "NATS" WERE MADE UP OF TRANSPLANTED MINOR LEAGUERs KNOWN AS THE KANSAS CITY BLUES, AND MORE THAN LIKELY, BOOs FROM THE STANDS IN THE EARLY GOING...THEY WERE NOT VERY PROPEROUS THEN, BUT PLAYED TWO SEASONS AT AMERICAN LEAGUE PARK I, THEN LOCATED ON THE CORNER OF FLORIDA AVENUE AND TRINIDAD AVENUE, NE...
...1904, THEY THEN MOVED TO BOUNDARY FIELD, (AMERICAN LEAGUE PARK II) WHERE THE ORIGINAL NATIONAL LEAGUE SENATORS HAD OPERATED FROM 1891-1899 ... THAT TEAM FOLDED WITH NEVER A WINNING SEASON...THE FIELD WAS THEN LOCATED WITH BOUNDS AT GEORGIA AVE, W STREET, 5TH STREET AND FLORIDA AVE, NW., CURRENTLY THE SITE OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL...
...THERE, THE AL, SENATORS WOULD TAKE THE NAME NATIONALS FROM 1904-1955 AND THE FIELD ALSO TOOK "NATIONAL PARK" AS A REFERENCE...SENATORS AND NATIONALS WERE INTERCHANGEABLE WHEN IN 1910, PRESIDENT WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT, INAUGURATED THE "FIRST PITCH" CEREMONY...IN THE SPRING OF 1911, THE BLEACHERS CAUGHT FIRE, AND THE FACILITY WAS ULTIMATELY RECONSTRUCTED AS GRIFFITH STADIUM, WITH THEIR FIRST EVER WINNING SEASON COMING IN 1912...SECOND IN THE AL AT (91-61), IT WAS THE ERA OF HOF, PITCHER WALTER 'BIG TRAIN" JOHNSON AND THE TEAM WOULD ENJOY MULTIPLE WINNING SEASONS....THE NOW VIABLE FRANCHISE WOULD TAKE THAT FALL CLASSIC IN '24 OVER THE NL, NEW YORK GIANTS...(DON'T THEY PLAY FOOTBALL?)
...IT WAS A HOT TIME IN TENLYTOWN, GEORGETOWN AND ALL OVER THE DC TOWN AS THE SENATORS WOULD TAKE THE SEVEN GAME SERIES IN THE 12TH WITH A WALK OFF (4-3) WIN AT GRIFFITH...THEY WOULD TAKE CONSECUTIVE AL PENNANTS, LOSING THE SERIES IN '25...ALONG WITH JOHNSON, SAM RICE, JOE CRONIN, HEINIE MANUSH, GOOSE GOSLIN AND BUCKY HARRIS, (REMEMBER THOSE GUYS), ALL FAMERs, THEY KEPT THE NATs IN THE WIN COLUMN THROUGH THE MID 30s...WITH ATTRITION, THE WINS WOULD REVERT TO LOSSES THROUGH THE NEXT TWO DECADES THOUGH GOOD PLAYERS CAME THROUGH THE GRIFFITH LOCKER ROOM...THEY WOULD ENJOY A FEW WINNING SEASONS IN THE 40s & 50s, AND THE OFFICIAL NAME SENATORS WOULD RETURN IN '55...THE NAME CHANGE HAD NO AFFECT ATTRACTING FANS, AND ALTHOUGH FINISHING 5TH AMONG (8) AL TEAMS IN 1960 AT (73-81), THE ATTENDANCE OF APPX 750,000 WAS ON THE BOTTOM FLOOR OF THE LEAGUE...
... OWNERSHIP TOOK THE SEARCH FOR GREENER PASTURES, MORE FANS IN THE STANDS AND MORE CASH IN THE REGISTER, SETTLING AT METROPOLITAN STADIUM, IN BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA AS THE "TWINS"... MEANWHILE, A THIRD GROUP OF SENATORS WERE WARMING UP TO SUCCEED THE OLD GROUP AT GRIFFITH AS AN EXPANSION TEAM...FOR THE '61 SEASON, SENATORS 3 FINISHED (61-100), ATTRACTING 597,000 TICKET HOLDERS...AS THE DECADE PROGRESSED, THE PHRASE" SENATORS: "FIRST IN WAR, FIRST IN PEACE, LAST IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE" POKED FUN AT THE FUTILITY OF THE "NEW NATs" ...THE TEAM MOVED TO THE NEW D.C. STADIUM, (AKA RFK, AND SOON TO BE NO MORE) BUT IT WOULD BE 1969 WHEN APOLLO LANDED ON THE MOON, AND MUCH MORE AMAZING, THE NEW NATs ENJOYED THEIR FIRST AND ONLY WINNING SEASON (86-76). THAT SEASON, OWNERSHIP CHANGED AND THE NEW OWNER ATTRACTED HOF, TED WILLIAMS TO MANAGE THE TEAM...
...IT WAS A YEAR OF SPORTS REVOLUTION IN THE CAPITAL CITY...ANOTHER LEGEND, VINCE LOMBARDI (THAT SUPER BOWL TROPHY GUY), HAD RAISED THE EXCITEMENT LEVEL OF WASHINGTON PRO FOOTBALL, AND U OF MARYLAND COACH, LEFTY DRIESEL PROMISED TO MAKE THE TERPS THE "UCLA OF THE EAST"...IT MARKED AN AWAKENING IN D.C. SPORTS...AS A RESULT OF THE ENTHUSIASM AND WINNING, THEY ATTRACTED THE MOST FANS EVER TO SEE THE SENATORS, AS 900,000 FILLED THE SEATS THAT YEAR. WILLIAMS WOULD WIN AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR... THE HOFer WAS AMAZING, BUT WAS NO MIRACLE WORKER, AND COULDN'T MAINTAIN THE SENATORIAL BASEBALL CAUCUS ABOVE WATER...THE TEAM's D.C. SWAN SONG CAME AFTER THE '71 SEASON WITH 63 WINS AND 96 LOSSES, THE LAST OF (11) SEASONS...
...ARLINGTON, TEXAS SERENADED AND SWOONED OWNER, BOB SHORT, (NOT BOB BARKER) TO "COME ON DOWN", AND HE DID, AS THE NATS WOULD BECOME TEXAS RANGERS...WASHINGTON'S ONLY SOURCE OF PRO BASEBALL FOR 33 YEARS WAS A PARKWAY RIDE TO BALTIMORE TO SEE THE ORIOLES...PRO BASEBALL #4 WOULD MAKE ITS ESCAPE ACROSS THE NORTHERN BORDER FROM MONTREAL TO WASHINGTON IN 2005 AND THE EXHILARATION OF CHAMPION WAS EXPERIECNCED FOR A SECOND TIME IN 2019...
SO, LET'S BLAME COVID FOR THAT SPIRAL TO LAST PLACE IN '21 AND '22, (EVERYBODY BLAMES COVID FOR EVERYTHING, ANYWAY). HOWEVER, FANS SAW IMPROVEMENT WITH (2) CONSECUTIVE SEASONS OF IDENTICAL FINISHES (71-91) IN 2023 AND IN '24. THAT YEAR CELEBRATED (20) YEARS OF BASEBALL IN D.C., WHILE CHASING .500 AND A RETURN TO RESPECTABILITY.
WELL...IN 2025, THE NATS COULD CLAIM THAT OLD PHRASE AGAIN, THOUGH, WITH A FEW CHANGES, "FIRST IN WAR, FIRST IN PEACE, THOUGH LAST IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST"..
THOSE MAJOR LEAGUERS OVER IN NAT'S STADIUM IN SOUTHEAST, DC, SPENT THE EARLY PART OF THEIR 21ST SEASON IN THE CAPITAL CITY, CLEANING HOUSE. FALLING FROM 4TH IN 2024 TO 5TH AND LAST PLACE IN THE NL EAST IN '25, SERIES WINNING MANAGER, DAVIE MARTINEZ, GOT "THE AXE." HE HAD WATCHED HIS TEAM GRADUALLY FALTER AFTER THEIR TRIUMPHANT 2019. THUS, EARLY IN HIS 8TH SEASON, HE, ALONG WITH GM, MIKE RIZZO WERE FIRED.
THE FRONT OFFICE WOULD UNDERGO MAJOR CHANGES IN THE OFF-SEASON. THE NEW BLOOD IS YOUNG BLOOD WITH 35-YEAR-OLD, PAUL TOBONI, AS HEAD OF BASEBALL OPERATIONS, BRINGING THE 33-YEAR-OLD BLAKE BUTERA IN AS "SKIPPER". ALSO, ANIRDH KILAMBI, CAME OVER FROM THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES AS THE NATS NEW GM FOR 2026. KEEP WATCHIN'