This year represents the golden anniversary of the most successful Washington Senators in history, bearing in mind that this was the 1961 expansion model and not the previous incarnation that relocated to Minnesota where they became the Twins that same year. Two years, later the “new” Senators themselves moved to Texas to change their uniform to that of the Rangers.
A Whole New Ballgame: The 1969 Washington Senators 50th Anniversary Edition, by Stephen Walker, chronicles that triumphant campaign, under the leadership of Hall of Famer Ted Williams in his managerial debut. Many thought he would be unable to pass on his talents and insights to the players, but the proof is in the pudding. Several members of the team, including Frank “Hondo” Howard who had a career-high 48 home runs to go along with 111 RBIs, and Dick Bosman, who led the pitching staff with a 14-5 record and was tops in the AL with a 2.19 ERA, had their best seasons under his stewardship. (Bosman wrote the foreword to the book.)
A Whole New Ballgame was published by Pocol Press, which seems to be giving McFarland a run for its money when it comes to slightly offbeat books about baseball. Their title list includes such works as
- Misfits! Baseball’s Worst Teams Ever
- Mendoza’s Heroes: Fifty Batters Below .200
- The Lost Art of Baseball Humor (1860-1900)
From the press release of Whole:
Despite a long and uneven history, Major League Baseball’s Washington franchises have hardly been the stuff of legend. However, in 1969, when new owner Bob Short coaxed batting legend and rookie manager Ted Williams out of retirement, these annual no-names climbed out of the depths and straight into the hearts of Washington baseball fans starving for a winner. Led by The Capital Punisher Frank Howard, whose tape-measure home runs sometimes seemed like optical illusions, the Senators simply won ball games with a determination rarely seen in D.C. environs. A Whole New Ballgame showcases the 1969 Senators’ magical season, complete with updated player bios, new photographs, stats, game action, and stories.
Click here for more info on Pocol’s library.
is available on Amazon.com,
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