Washington Nationals books? Ready, set, go

Congratulations to the Washington Nationals, winners of the National League pennant and World Series participants for the first time in franchise history.

Remember about 15 years ago when baseball was considering contracting a few teams. The Nats’ antecedents, the Montreal Expos, were in line for that fate. In fact, I traveled to my ancestral manse for the final home stand of the 2002 season in preparation for a book on their final campaign there, enjoy press box privileges including sitting in on uncomfortable press conferences with then-manager Frank Robinson with the French and Anglo media. Remember, this was the end of another disappointing season that saw the team finish last in the league in attendance. The only real highlight was Vladimir Guerrero’s attempt to hit 40 home runs (he ended the year with 39, despite Robinson’s attempt to get him more at-bats in the final game by having him hit out of the lead-off spot).

But then they decided to stay one more year, so that put the kibosh on that project. Oh, well.

Given the natural proclivities of striking while the iron is hot and trying to make a buck, I posed the question on Facebook: Over or Under — two books about the Nats between the end of the World Series and next spring. Surely the Washington Post will come up with something since many newspapers take advantage of having all the information and photos already on hand; no big deal to turn it into a quickie publication.

There have been a handful of books about the Nationals over the past few years, including, in no particular order

Washington Nationals A-Z, by Ann Lambert Good (2016)
100 Things Nationals Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, by Jake Russell (2016)
The Washington Nationals 1859 to Today: The Story of Baseball in the Nations Capital , by Frederic J. Frommer (2006)
You Gotta Have Heart: A History of Washington Baseball from 1859 to the 2012 National League East Champions, by Frederic J. Frommer (2013)
National Pastime: Sports, Politics, and the Return of Baseball to Washington, D.C., by Barry Svrluga (2006)
The 2005 Washington Nationals: Major League Baseball Returns to the Capital, by Tim Leavengood (2006)
Baseball Is Back The Washington Nationals 2005 Inaugural Season, by James R. Hartlet (2006)
Beltway Boys: Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and the Rise of the Nationals, by Elliott Smith (2013)