1970 Washington Senators

[Timbones]

I'd like to get some comments about the 1970 Senators. They did well in 1969 but slipped in 1970. I'd like to hear some comments as to what went wrong that year. If they had done well that year maybe that disastrous Denny McLain trade would not have happened?

[JohnGelnarFan]

The 1969 team was 86-76 and finished in 4th place. It was very dissapointing when the 70' Senators reverted back to their losing ways and ended up 70-92 and 6th place(last). After Ted Williams had made such great strides with the offense in 69',some of the players did not continue to improve. The team average dropped from .251 to .238 Mike Epstein went from 30 homers,85 RBI's and .278 to 20 homers,56 RBI's and .256. Bernie Allen didn't hit,Del Unser was Injured quite a bit and Ken McMullen was traded to California. That was actually a rare good trade because the Nats aquired Aurelio Rodriguez and Rick Reichardt,who had good years. Howard was great with 44 homers and 126 RBI's,Ed Stroud did a nice job taking over as a regular for the injured Unser and Ed Brinkman didn't slip from his vastly improved year in 1969.
The team traded some key contributors from the 69' team for players that didn't help very much in 70'. Brant Alyea was traded to the Twins for Joe Grzenda,Hank Allen to the Brewers for Wayne Comer,Denny Higgins and Barry Moore to Cleveland for Dave Nelson and Horacio Pina and Dave Baldwin to Milwaukee for George Brunet. In fairness,Horacio Pina was good and Brunet had his moments but was only 8-6 with a 4.42 ERA
The Pitching probably suffered more than the offense. The team E.R.A. increased from 3.49 to 3.80 but it was worse than that sounds. Higgins,Moore,Baldwin and Bob Humphries were veteran contributors in 1969. Humphries was released June 4th after pitching in only 5 games and spending time in Denver. Dick Bosman was the ace at 16-12,3.00 ERA. Darold Knowles was an All-Star quality reliever with 27 saves and a 2.04 ERA but his record was 2-14(!!) Joe Coleman slumped from 12-13,3.27 to 8-12,3.58 and Casey Cox was 8-12,4.45 after a great year in 69'(12-7,2.77) Jim Hannan's ERA rose from 3.65 to 4.01 In those days,a 3.50 ERA was high.The bullpen was not nearly as deep as it had been and it showed. Pitchers like Dick Such(1-5,7.56),Jackie Brown and Bill Gogolewski couldn't make up for the loss of the veterans. Only Jim Shellenback improved but it wasn't enough.

I'm sure other members here have additional memories.

[Aa3rt]

Remember that the 1970 Senators played a two game exhibition with the Montreal Expos (how ironic!) in Arlington, Texas at the end of the 1970 spring training season. The memory dims after 36 years, but I do believe that there were already some rumors of the move to Texas circulating.

JGF has already covered most of the salient points and I really can't add much.

Bottom line-the hitting tailed off and pitching, never a strong point with the Senators, really fell below the 1969 level.

Jim Hannan spent 3 weeks on the DL due to a kidney ailment in April and then never regained form, getting his last win on Aug. 17th.

Frank Howard's BA dipped 14 points (from .296 to .283, still not bad) but scored 21 less runs (111 to 90) and had 15 less hits (175 to 160). Homer production stayed fairly consistent (48 in '69, 44 in '70).

Del Unser's BA dropped almost 30 points (.286 to .258), Hank Allen's average dropped markedly (.277 to .211) and Bernie Allens' BA went from .247 to .234 but with 29 less hits in '70 (61) vice 90 in '69.

The Senators had trouble scoring and the pitching staff, even when staked to a rare lead, couldn't seem to hold it.

While 1970 was a disappointment, 1971 was a disaster. After all these years, I still maintain that Bob :grouchy Short (whose name I still cannot speak without putting an expletive in front of it) had an ulterior motive to make the team less appealing to the fans and then use that as an excuse to uproot them to Texas.

[Timbones]

Well for sure baseball had taken a hard look at Texas for an expansion team in 1969, and I imagine Short was trying to push things in that direction. After all, that wasn't a decision that could have been made overnight, it took some planning. Thanks for filling in the gaps you guys! Here's a quote from Del Unser on the final game: "“It was eerie and a little scary,” he said. “I grabbed my hat and ran for the dugout. And it was broken-field running, too. They were taking light bulbs out of the scoreboard and smashing them. You just didn’t know what was going to happen.”
“There was so much animosity toward Bob Short,” he continued. The team had been run on a shoestring. He probably didn’t really want to succeed there because he knew he had a pot of gold waiting in Texas.”


T.

[Yankwood]

It's funny what we remember, but when I think back to that time, the rage in spring training was that there was this phenom about to take the A.L. by storm. His name was Tommy Grieve. He wound up with 3 home runs and batted under .200 and his season was a microcosm of the entire 1970 season. Very disappointing. His son Ben, after some success very early in his career, has not had the career he was expected to, either.

Being a Rochester Red Wings fan as a kid it's still a lot of fun to think back to those years and my memories of Mike Epstien, Frank Bertaina, Darold Knowles (possessor of the most unjust 2-14 record in baseball history), Fred Valentine, Sam Bowens,etc.

[Rome Colonel]

Most of the season the Senators were only a little below .500. As late as August 17th they were 58-62. Then everything fell apart as they lost 30 of their last 42 games, including all of the last 14. Twelve of the 30 losses were by one run.

Howard had an outstanding year but no one else hit over .266. The pitching wasn't as bad (7th out of 12 teams in ERA). Knowles, who was 2-14 with a 2.04 ERA, was victimized the most by lack of offensive support.

[JohnGelnarFan]

All of you have made nice additions here. Aa3rt,I remember that Jim Hannan was pitching very well before his kidney ailment. On Aug.17th,he was 9-5. Tom Grieve was like so many young players that started with the Senators and had their best years elsewhere. My only vivid memory of him was when he hit his first major league triple. That was pretty exciting,until he got picked off third base.:rolleyes: I also remember him turning me down for an autograph after a game. I never liked him after that. Other young players like Lenny Randle and Tom Ragland were busts as Senators.
1971 WAS a disaster. If you look up the transactions they made,it's apparent that Short was preparing to leave town. Howard dropped off at an alarming rate(26 homers) and only Don Mincher hit as many as 10. If you guys remember,Dave Nelson hit third quite often in the second half and he hit 5 homers. Dick(Rich) Billings and Larry Biittner were surprising contributors and their stats weren't exceptional.
I don't remember the exhibition games in Arlington,Tx. or that their record was acceptable until mid august. That is pretty shocking! Thanks guys! :waving

P.S.- I think Timbones asked about Fred Valentine in another thread. He'll be appearing at The Collectors Showcase Of America at the Dulles Expos Center in Chantilly Va. on Saturday,July 8th between 12-4 P.M. Chuck Hinton and Jim Coates will be there Friday,the 7th from 4-7,Saturday from 12-4 and Sunday from 11-3. Donations of $10.00 are requested for autographs. This event is in conjunction with the American Cancer Society's breast cancer awareness program. This info was in the May issue of "Nats News" from the Washington Historical Baseball Society.

[JohnGelnarFan]

Speaking of 1970 players,did you know that Dick Such was 0-16 with a 2.81 ERA in 1967 at York? (it's on the back of his only card) I think he led the league in ERA!! Go Senators!! :gt We sure miss you!!

[Aa3rt]

Speaking of 1970 players,did you know that Dick Such was 0-16 with a 2.81 ERA in 1967 at York? (it's on the back of his only card) I think he led the league in ERA!!

Here's a link to Dick Such's "career" record, 1-6 in 1970 with a 7+ ERA. I remember that he was a pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins about 10 years ago. Coming up through the "School Of Hard Knocks" I'm sure he had a lot of knowledge to impart to young pitchers.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=suchdi01

Go Senators!! :gt We sure miss you!!

:clapping :clapping :clapping Amen to that, brother!:clapping :clapping :clapping

[JohnGelnarFan]

Thanks for the link Aa3rt. Such was a major league pitching coach for a long time. It's a good thing they don't have to be stars to stay in the game. I actually bought a beautiful autographed color photo of him on ebay about 5 or 6 years ago but it never showed up. When I typed in his name in my search box,I couldn't find anything. I clicked on his first game box score and checked out some of the other players in that game. In 1970,Dave Nelson earned $13,500! In 71',Paul Casanova earned $26,000 and he was a starter and ex all-star. In a 1970 program I have,a box seat cost $3.50. What the heck happened? G-R-E-E-D!!

[Yankwood]

Dick Bosman was the pitching coach here in Rochester for a few seasons. He was a real nice guy when I got the opportunity to talk to him. I asked him if he kept any of his Senators stuff from years ago but he said his jerseys and hats and things like that he sold to a collector in the Baltimore-Washington area. He looked kind of sad like he wished he had it all back.

[JohnGelnarFan]

It's nice when you find out that your boyhood heroes are nice guys,Isn't it? You're lucky to have been able to watch AAA ball. The minor leagues are more fan friendly than the majors. I can't believe he sold his uniforms,especially since the Senators were a defunct team. Those things are pretty rare. He was our ace but there were a few Instances where you'd think he was a total unknown. His name is Richard Allen Bosman and I have two instances where he was called Dave Bosman! I have an audio tape of the 1969 opener and when he was warming up,the announcers called him Dave Bosman. I also have a program that has a picture of fans on the field with a banner that says "Dave Bosman Fan Club"!!



Dick Bosman was the pitching coach here in Rochester for a few seasons. He was a real nice guy when I got the opportunity to talk to him. I asked him if he kept any of his Senators stuff from years ago but he said his jerseys and hats and things like that he sold to a collector in the Baltimore-Washington area. He looked kind of sad like he wished he had it all back.

[Yankwood]

They probably got him mixed up with Dave Boswell who was pitching around the same time. Boswell remembers Billy Martin I'll bet.

[JohnGelnarFan]

That might be true with the announcers Terry but not his own Fan Club! :crazy You're right about Boswell and Martin. Not the best of friends.



They probably got him mixed up with Dave Boswell who was pitching around the same time. Boswell remembers Billy Martin I'll bet.

[StevesBaseball]

Not quite the 1970 Senators but here's Hank Allen from August of 1969 in Anaheim Stadium.
http://www.geocities.com/dewing19/images/24texas/24204allen.jpg




Steve
"Steve's Baseball Photography Pages" (http://www.geocities.com/dewing19)

[Aa3rt]

Great photo, thanks for sharing!

[JohnGelnarFan]

Beautiful Photo Steve. Is it on your website? I don't see it there.




Not quite the 1970 Senators but here's Hank Allen from August of 1969 in Anaheim Stadium.
http://www.geocities.com/dewing19/images/24texas/24204allen.jpg




Steve
"Steve's Baseball Photography Pages" (http://www.geocities.com/dewing19)

[HondoHR33]

Wow John,

That really surprises me, your bad experience with Grieve. In 1999, my wife and I went to Rangers-Padres game in San Diego and we went to get some food before the game. We saw Grieve standing in line to get some sort of hot sandwich. Not sure why he wasn't eating in the press box, but we went up to him, introduced ourselves and he seemed really genuinely happy to meet us. He talked to us for a couple of minutes and when he heard Frank Howard was my favorite player, he asked me if I knew that Hondo hit the first HR in the old Arlington Stadium. Maybe he was just in a bad mood after your game orrrrrrrrrrrrr ...... maybe seeing LOTS of bad baseball the past 36 years has humbled him LOL ... he truly seems like a really nice guy.

All of you have made nice additions here. Aa3rt,I remember that Jim Hannan was pitching very well before his kidney ailment. On Aug.17th,he was 9-5. Tom Grieve was like so many young players that started with the Senators and had their best years elsewhere. My only vivid memory of him was when he hit his first major league triple. That was pretty exciting,until he got picked off third base.:rolleyes: I also remember him turning me down for an autograph after a game. I never liked him after that. Other young players like Lenny Randle and Tom Ragland were busts as Senators.
1971 WAS a disaster. If you look up the transactions they made,it's apparent that Short was preparing to leave town. Howard dropped off at an alarming rate(26 homers) and only Don Mincher hit as many as 10. If you guys remember,Dave Nelson hit third quite often in the second half and he hit 5 homers. Dick(Rich) Billings and Larry Biittner were surprising contributors and their stats weren't exceptional.
I don't remember the exhibition games in Arlington,Tx. or that their record was acceptable until mid august. That is pretty shocking! Thanks guys! :waving

P.S.- I think Timbones asked about Fred Valentine in another thread. He'll be appearing at The Collectors Showcase Of America at the Dulles Expos Center in Chantilly Va. on Saturday,July 8th between 12-4 P.M. Chuck Hinton and Jim Coates will be there Friday,the 7th from 4-7,Saturday from 12-4 and Sunday from 11-3. Donations of $10.00 are requested for autographs. This event is in conjunction with the American Cancer Society's breast cancer awareness program. This info was in the May issue of "Nats News" from the Washington Historical Baseball Society.

[JohnGelnarFan]

I'm sure he's a decent guy Art but turning down a kid(who was the only one to recognize him) was hurtful at the time. I even remember what he was wearing. When I moved to Texas in 1992 and went to the Rangers offices to meet Rich Billings,I was sitting in the lobby waiting when Grieve and George "Dubyah" walked by. The first thing I thought of was that moment in 1970. I guess he scarred me for life! :crazy I'm glad that your experience with him was more pleasant. Maybe he did have a bad day. Hitting .198 will do that to you! I received my copy of "Frank Howard:The Gentle Giant" today. I'm looking forward to reading it :lookitup ........If they ever print the book,"Tom Grieve:The Kid Snubber",I won't buy it. ;)



Wow John,

That really surprises me, your bad experience with Grieve. In 1999, my wife and I went to Rangers-Padres game in San Diego and we went to get some food before the game. We saw Grieve standing in line to get some sort of hot sandwich. Not sure why he wasn't eating in the press box, but we went up to him, introduced ourselves and he seemed really genuinely happy to meet us. He talked to us for a couple of minutes and when he heard Frank Howard was my favorite player, he asked me if I knew that Hondo hit the first HR in the old Arlington Stadium. Maybe he was just in a bad mood after your game orrrrrrrrrrrrr ...... maybe seeing LOTS of bad baseball the past 36 years has humbled him LOL ... he truly seems like a really nice guy.

[soberdennis]

Well for sure baseball had taken a hard look at Texas for an expansion team in 1969, and I imagine Short was trying to push things in that direction. After all, that wasn't a decision that could have been made overnight, it took some planning. Thanks for filling in the gaps you guys! Here's a quote from Del Unser on the final game: "“It was eerie and a little scary,” he said. “I grabbed my hat and ran for the dugout. And it was broken-field running, too. They were taking light bulbs out of the scoreboard and smashing them. You just didn’t know what was going to happen.”
“There was so much animosity toward Bob Short,” he continued. The team had been run on a shoestring. He probably didn’t really want to succeed there because he knew he had a pot of gold waiting in Texas.”


T.
I remember when Bob Short ran for the Senate from Minnesota in 1978. What do you think the reaction in DC would have been if he won. (he lost.)

[JohnGelnarFan]

That's kind of ironic because the original Senators were moved to Minnesota. I'm sure the reaction would have been unfavorable if he had won. There was nothing he could have done that would have been looked upon favorably from Senators fans. He sure is a bad memory.

[Aa3rt]

That's kind of ironic because the original Senators were moved to Minnesota. I'm sure the reaction would have been unfavorable if he had won. There was nothing he could have done that would have been looked upon favorably from Senators fans. He sure is a bad memory.

I know I've mentioned this before, but that :grouchy Bob Short was professional sports original carpetbagger. He was also responsible for moving the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA to LA, and made an obscene profit by doing so.

The Washington Senators played exhibition games in both 1969 & 1970 in Arlington, Texas. I suppose the old BS (Bob Short, not to be confused with the new BS-Bud Selig) was "testing the waters" to see what type of reception the Senators would get in Texas.

I've long maintained that some of those disastrous trades and aquisitions (Denny Mc Lain, Curt Flood) were ploys by Short to make it appear that he was "improving" the Senators, all the while undermining the product the Washington franchise put on the field. He probably started counting that Texas oil money before the 1969 season began. :mad:

[Yankwood]

Look at us!!!! 35 years later and we're still pissed!!!:mad: Who says time heals all wounds?:grouchy

[JohnGelnarFan]

I wonder where the guy that poured a beer on his head is today? Remember the picture in the paper of the guy standing behind him with the dummy hung in efigy? Short had a very angry and disgusted look on his face.I have those right,don't I?

[JohnGelnarFan]

Happy Birthday Aa3rt!!! :clapping

On your birthday,The 1970 Senators lost to the Red Sox,6-5,in Boston. Joe Coleman pitched 6.1 Innings and allowed 15 hits!




I know I've mentioned this before, but that :grouchy Bob Short was professional sports original carpetbagger. He was also responsible for moving the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA to LA, and made an obscene profit by doing so.

The Washington Senators played exhibition games in both 1970 & 1971 in Arlington, Texas. I suppose the old BS (Bob Short, not to be confused with the new BS-Bud Selig) was "testing the waters" to see what type of reception the Senators would get in Texas.

I've long maintained that some of those disastrous trades and aquisitions (Denny Mc Lain, Curt Flood) were ploys by Short to make it appear that he was "improving" the Senators, all the while undermining the product the Washington franchise put on the field. He probably started counting that Texas oil money before the 1970 season began. :mad:

[HondoHR33]

I'm sure he's a decent guy Art but turning down a kid(who was the only one to recognize him) was hurtful at the time. I even remember what he was wearing. When I moved to Texas in 1992 and went to the Rangers offices to meet Rich Billings,I was sitting in the lobby waiting when Grieve and George "Dubyah" walked by. The first thing I thought of was that moment in 1970. I guess he scarred me for life! :crazy I'm glad that your experience with him was more pleasant. Maybe he did have a bad day. Hitting .198 will do that to you! I received my copy of "Frank Howard:The Gentle Giant" today. I'm looking forward to reading it :lookitup ........If they ever print the book,"Tom Grieve:The Kid Snubber",I won't buy it. ;)

LOL, I certainly understand that John!!!! Enjoy the book. And hey, if you ever read or hear anywhere that Hondo is going to be appearing at a show or somewhere, please let me know, OK?? I still have just a few items I'd like to get him to sign and I'd also like my wife to get the opportunity to meet him.

[Timbones]

Hi Guys,
I always check up on this thread, it's had some interesting stuff here. For the record JohnG, "Baseball Bill" was Bill Holdforth, a Washington bartender who allegedly dumped the beer over Short's head, though in fact he denies it, as he says it would have been a waste of beer! He is definitely proud of having held the effigy of Short though. When Short ran for the Senate in 1978, "Bill" and his cronies raised money for his opponent and even took out ads in the Minnesota papers against Short. They were probably a minor factor in his eventual defeat, but at least Short lost anyway.
I understand "Baseball Bill" is still around and has become a Nationals fan...
You can read some more about him here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48777-2004Nov14.html

[Aa3rt]

Look at us!!!! 35 years later and we're still pissed!!!:mad: Who says time heals all wounds?:grouchy

Yankwood, yeah it probably seems pretty silly to 99 & 44/100ths % of the population, but when you grow up following a team, to have them yanked out from under you is something you really never get over.

My younger brother used to really rag on me because he was an Orioles fan-and of course, when we were growing up in the mid-1960's the Orioles were good, and the Senators, except for that memorable 1969 season, were usually pretty bad. My brother used to give me a hard time about the Senators/Orioles matchups. He was a much more talented ball player than me-made county all-star a couple of times as a third baseman. He admired Brooks Robinson. Remember that Brooks had the nickname "The Human Vacuum"? Sibling rivalry being what it is, I nicknamed my brother "The Human Suck", a line I would lay on him when he started giving a hard time about the Senators. ;)

But, once again, I digress. I'm sure there are lots of hard-core Senators fans out there, probably now all in the over fifty age bracket, who have no love for Mr. Short to this day.

You think we've got it bad? Scroll up a few forums to the Brooklyn Dodgers and see what those folks have to say about Walter O'Malley-he's about as popular as Adolph Hitler in Poland!

[Aa3rt]

Happy Birthday Aa3rt!!! :clapping

On your birthday,The 1970 Senators lost to the Red Sox,6-5,in Boston. Joe Coleman pitched 6.1 Innings and allowed 15 hits!

Thanks JGF-FYI, on my birthdate, July 1, 1953, the Washington Senators played the Philadelphia Athletics in Philly, winning 5-3 and raising their record to 35-36. They finished the year at an even .500 with a 76-76 record.

[JohnGelnarFan]

I sure will Art. It's been 3 years since there was a team reunion but we always hope there will be another. I'm sure any appearances will be announced in the Washington Historical Baseball Society Newsletter. I'll let you know!



LOL, I certainly understand that John!!!! Enjoy the book. And hey, if you ever read or hear anywhere that Hondo is going to be appearing at a show or somewhere, please let me know, OK?? I still have just a few items I'd like to get him to sign and I'd also like my wife to get the opportunity to meet him.

[JohnGelnarFan]

Hi TB- This was a great article. I'm saving Bill's picture. I can see the picture of him standing behind Short very clearly in my mind. He sure has changed but I guess we all have. Thanks for finding this piece of nostalgia for us! :clapping



Hi Guys,
I always check up on this thread, it's had some interesting stuff here. For the record JohnG, "Baseball Bill" was Bill Holdforth, a Washington bartender who allegedly dumped the beer over Short's head, though in fact he denies it, as he says it would have been a waste of beer! He is definitely proud of having held the effigy of Short though. When Short ran for the Senate in 1978, "Bill" and his cronies raised money for his opponent and even took out ads in the Minnesota papers against Short. They were probably a minor factor in his eventual defeat, but at least Short lost anyway.
I understand "Baseball Bill" is still around and has become a Nationals fan...
You can read some more about him here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48777-2004Nov14.html

[JohnGelnarFan]

It wasn't easy being a Senators fan sometimes but we loved them. We did take alot of abuse from fans of better teams. Still,the memories of our guys grow fonder as the years go by. I'm glad that we have another team in Washington but they'll never replace the Nats in my heart. The Nationals sure play like the Senators but they don't have anyone close to Frank Howard. Soriano's good but he's no Hondo. He'll probably be just a memory soon anyhow.
Your brother may have been better than you were but every team needs a slow footed second string catcher! ;)



Yankwood, yeah it probably seems pretty silly to 99 & 44/100ths % of the population, but when you grow up following a team, to have them yanked out from under you is something you really never get over.

My younger brother used to really rag on me because he was an Orioles fan-and of course, when we were growing up in the mid-1960's the Orioles were good, and the Senators, except for that memorable 1969 season, were usually pretty bad. My brother used to give me a hard time about the Senators/Orioles matchups. He was a much more talented ball player than me-made county all-star a couple of times as a third baseman. He admired Brooks Robinson. Remember that Brooks had the nickname "The Human Vacuum"? Sibling rivalry being what it is, I nicknamed my brother "The Human Suck", a line I would lay on him when he started giving a hard time about the Senators. ;)

But, once again, I digress. I'm sure there are lots of hard-core Senators fans out there, probably now all in the over fifty age bracket, who have no love for Mr. Short to this day.

You think we've got it bad? Scroll up a few forums to the Brooklyn Dodgers and see what those folks have to say about Walter O'Malley-he's about as popular as Adolph Hitler in Poland!

[HondoHR33]

Speaking of memories, I was thinking the other day of the time I went to a Senators-Angels game in Anaheim in 1971, shortly after the Senators drafted right-hander Pete Broberg out of the Ivy League. He had just joined the team and I got to see him warm up in the bullpen, about 5 feet from where I was, in what had to be only his first or second throwing session with the team. The guy had GREAT stuff. If he had been with an organization that didn't try to rush their pitchers (i.e. David Clyde), he could have been something with a little minor league seasoning. He and Joe Coleman might have been my favorite Senators pitchers of all time.

It wasn't easy being a Senators fan sometimes but we loved them. We did take alot of abuse from fans of better teams. Still,the memories of our guys grow fonder as the years go by. I'm glad that we have another team in Washington but they'll never replace the Nats in my heart. The Nationals sure play like the Senators but they don't have anyone close to Frank Howard. Soriano's good but he's no Hondo. He'll probably be just a memory soon anyhow.
Your brother may have been better than you were but every team needs a slow footed second string catcher! ;)

[Timbones]

What can I say guys except thanks for the memories! I'll always remember standing on rickety DC Transit buses with my Mom to go to Senators games in the sixties, it was a long trip cross town and the AC wasn't always working but we wanted to see our Nats. Mom was a huge fan and longed for another team but had to wait and wait like the rest of us.
Here's a nice quote from Ken McMullen:
"Fourteen years in the major leagues is a good career," concluded McMullen. "I met real nice people along the way. I loved the years in Washington because we were all young and struggling trying to get a head. They say when you're poor you have more fun than when you are rich. That was what it was like with the Senators. We were poor but we had a lot of fun."

It's from a long article but I am sure you guys might want to read the rest so go here: http://www.historicbaseball.com/players/m/mcmullen_ken.html

[JohnGelnarFan]

He was from Dartmouth,wasn't he? I went to Pete Broberg's debut as a Senator and he did have great stuff. It was against the Red Sox and he was very impressive.He pitched some very good games in 1971 although he ended up just 5-9. He must not have gotten proper instruction after that because his numbers were never as good. I remember seeing him pitch for other teams later and he had a very ugly windup. They must have totally screwed up what made him such a promising pitcher. It's funny that you mention him being rushed because yesterday I posted comments in the Washington Nationals site under "Bowden and Trades" saying the same thing. I also mentioned David Clyde and a few others.
Joe Coleman was such a great young pitcher. He came up in 1965 and his only appearance was a complete game victory. In 1966,he pitched twice and both appearances were complete game victories. He had some good numbers for the Senators but playing in Washington,his won-lost record suffered. Once he went to Detroit(and got fat!),he won 20,19 and 23 before tailing off to 14 and 10. I have a picture of the young,skinny,Joe on my wall at home.




Speaking of memories, I was thinking the other day of the time I went to a Senators-Angels game in Anaheim in 1971, shortly after the Senators drafted right-hander Pete Broberg out of the Ivy League. He had just joined the team and I got to see him warm up in the bullpen, about 5 feet from where I was, in what had to be only his first or second throwing session with the team. The guy had GREAT stuff. If he had been with an organization that didn't try to rush their pitchers (i.e. David Clyde), he could have been something with a little minor league seasoning. He and Joe Coleman might have been my favorite Senators pitchers of all time.

[JohnGelnarFan]

I used to take the same route TB! My friends father used to drop us off at a bus station in Bethesda and we'd ride into D.C.,switch buses and go to R.F.K. It was a long,hot trip! We were exhausted by the time we got home but it was well worth it. We would buy our upper deck tickets and move all over the stadium,ending up down below if it was a blowout and the ushers let us sit there. Your Mother sounds great and must have been a big fan. When my mother would take us to night games,she would let us hang around the players enterance afterwards for autographs. She didn't like sports and now that I'm older,I really appreciate her patience. I had a book full of great(and not so great) autographs but lost them in a house fire. Oh,how I miss my Tim Cullen Scrapbook! :ughh So many years later,I have a picture of he and I shaking hands at the last reunion on my wall. That eases the pain a little!
Thanks for the Ken McMullen article. I recently purchased an autographed 1970 card on ebay. That site has a good one on Eddie Brinkman too.



What can I say guys except thanks for the memories! I'll always remember standing on rickety DC Transit buses with my Mom to go to Senators games in the sixties, it was a long trip cross town and the AC wasn't always working but we wanted to see our Nats. Mom was a huge fan and longed for another team but had to wait and wait like the rest of us.
Here's a nice quote from Ken McMullen:
"Fourteen years in the major leagues is a good career," concluded McMullen. "I met real nice people along the way. I loved the years in Washington because we were all young and struggling trying to get a head. They say when you're poor you have more fun than when you are rich. That was what it was like with the Senators. We were poor but we had a lot of fun."

It's from a long article but I am sure you guys might want to read the rest so go here: http://www.historicbaseball.com/players/m/mcmullen_ken.html

[HondoHR33]

John,

Yes, Broberg was from Dartmouth and you're right ... going to the Senators at that point in his young career was probably the worst thing that could have happened to him. With the proper organization, I really think he could have been something!

He was from Dartmouth,wasn't he? I went to Pete Broberg's debut as a Senator and he did have great stuff. It was against the Red Sox and he was very impressive.He pitched some very good games in 1971 although he ended up just 5-9. He must not have gotten proper instruction after that because his numbers were never as good. I remember seeing him pitch for other teams later and he had a very ugly windup. They must have totally screwed up what made him such a promising pitcher. It's funny that you mention him being rushed because yesterday I posted comments in the Washington Nationals site under "Bowden and Trades" saying the same thing. I also mentioned David Clyde and a few others.
Joe Coleman was such a great young pitcher. He came up in 1965 and his only appearance was a complete game victory. In 1966,he pitched twice and both appearances were complete game victories. He had some good numbers for the Senators but playing in Washington,his won-lost record suffered. Once he went to Detroit(and got fat!),he won 20,19 and 23 before tailing off to 14 and 10. I have a picture of the young,skinny,Joe on my wall at home.

[JohnGelnarFan]

Hi Art - Welcome back to the land of the non-argumentative! :waving

When the Senators moved to Texas,Broberg went 5-12 with a 4.30 ERA. He started 25 games and relieved in another 14. He had really good hits in Innings pitched ( 176 innings,153 hits) but walked 85. He struck out 133 and pitched one shutout. In 1973,he was 5-9 with a 5.60 ERA and walked 66 in 119 innings,while striking out only 57. In 1974,at 24 years old,he only pitched in 12 games,was 0-4 and his ERA rose to 8.07
In December of 1974,the Rangers finally gave up on Pete and traded him to the Brewers for Clyde Wright. In 1975,he went 14-16 with a 4.13 ERA(high in those days) and walked more than he struck out. He never got on track and only went 1-7 in 1976. He spent 1976 with the Cubs,going 1-2 and finished his 8 year career in Oakland,going 10-12 with a 4.62 ERA
His career record was 41-71 with a 4.56 ERA and 6 shutouts. A promising career filled with potential was clearly mishandled.

[Yankwood]

Hi Art - Welcome back to the land of the non-argumentative! :waving

.;) :D You're killin' me. But how true!

[JohnGelnarFan]

You're the reason I said it! :laugh I hope that Art won't have reservations about visiting our little corner of BBF. Senators fans are very patient and kind people!

[1964Senators]

I don't know if anyone has done the runs scored / runs allowed analysis for the 1969 Senators, to determine what their record should be, but it seems that they must have had an awful lot of luck, good fortune, karma, etc., and that the situation reversed itself in 1970. I doubt the difference in runs scored and allowed factors out to 10 games over .500.
This observation is just a guess based on a couple factors. Darold Knowles 1970 W/L record is totally out whack with his ERA and all other
stats. I may have to get out my Sporting News from 1970 to see how many
runs they scored for him. I think you would have to go back to the deadball era to find someone with a 2-14 record (or something similar) and a 2.06 ERA.
Knowles didn't have much bullpen help in 1970. Only Horacio Pina could be
counted on to put out fires, while the 1969 bullpen was 4 deep (Higgins, Knowles, Humphreys, and Baldwin). This bullpen depth was also a plus during the years of Hodges' tenure with the club, and was an underrated factor in
whatever success the Nats enjoyed.
Considering the quality of the Senators starting pitching, the bullpen becomes even more important. I don't know how many of Casey Cox's 1969 victories came as a reliever, but if you tally them all as in relief the bullpen
notched just as many victories as the starters. When your second (Hannan)
and fourth (Barry Moore) starters (in terms of number of starts) only win 16 games between them, there is little margin for error. With every starter taking a step backward in 1970, the floor collapsed.
I think that Frank Howard's stats for 1970 are even more remarkable because of his teammates futility. What's not to love about big Frank.
Love this site. Still love those Senators. Keep posting. It makes great winter reading.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is a nice 1970 topps poster of Frank Howard.

[Iron Jaw]

I grew up in the Denver area, and the Denver Bears became the AAA farm club of the Senators after severing ties with the Twins after the 1969 season. I watched Tommy Grieve play for the Bears and he had a heck of a season. Of course, another phenom was in the making in Denver also - Jeff Burroughs. I remember thinking that Rich Billings was going to be a top ML catcher.

I remember Dick Such pitching for the Bears. I also recall the stadium P.A. and how they "mispronounced" his last name......my Dad always said it was intentional.:shrug:

Jackie Brown also looked like a top pitching prospect at the time, and after showing some flair early on with the Senators and Rangers, he never really lived up to his potential.

[swbredbaronfan]

I know this is a pretty old thread. Maybe somebody with a better memory than mine can provide more details such as the specific date and etc.

In April of 1970 I was a young Marine stationed at Ft. Meade and myself and a couple of buddies decided to drive down the Parkway to see the Senators play the Yankees.

I remember paying something like $5 apiece for box seats ( I may be wrong but i think that may have been the most expensive seats in the MLs at the time).

Well, we got ourselves quite a game for that though. The Sens were leading 1-0 (Joe Coleman against Fritz Peterson) until there were 2 outs in the top of the 9th when Bobby Murcer hit one over the right-centerfield fence to tie the game. The game went extra innings and just about every relief pitcher on both teams was used in the game. I remember the game ended with Eddie Brinkman sliding across the plate with the winning run in the bottom of the 18th.

By the time the game ended there were about 50 people left in the stands. During the game we kept moving up closer to the front until my right shoulder was against the Yankee dugout. I even got to have a short conversation with Pete Ward who was finishing up his career with the Yankees at that time.

Later in the summer I took a solo trip there and was in the park the night that Frank Robinson it 2 GS HRs but I don't remember as much of the game. (whattya want, I was 20 yrs old and girl chasing was even more fun).

I thought I would share that and maybee somebody can come up with some dates and maybe even a box score or two. Thanks

[EdTarbusz]

That game was on April 22, 1970. Retrosheet has the box-score and play by play of the game.

[Aa3rt]

I know this is a pretty old thread. Maybe somebody with a better memory than mine can provide more details such as the specific date and etc.

In April of 1970 I was a young Marine stationed at Ft. Meade and myself and a couple of buddies decided to drive down the Parkway to see the Senators play the Yankees.

I remember paying something like $5 apiece for box seats ( I may be wrong but i think that may have been the most expensive seats in the MLs at the time).

Well, we got ourselves quite a game for that though. The Sens were leading 1-0 (Joe Coleman against Fritz Peterson) until there were 2 outs in the top of the 9th when Bobby Murcer hit one over the right-centerfield fence to tie the game. The game went extra innings and just about every relief pitcher on both teams was used in the game. I remember the game ended with Eddie Brinkman sliding across the plate with the winning run in the bottom of the 18th.

By the time the game ended there were about 50 people left in the stands. During the game we kept moving up closer to the front until my right shoulder was against the Yankee dugout. I even got to have a short conversation with Pete Ward who was finishing up his career with the Yankees at that time.

Later in the summer I took a solo trip there and was in the park the night that Frank Robinson it 2 GS HRs but I don't remember as much of the game. (whattya want, I was 20 yrs old and girl chasing was even more fun).

I thought I would share that and maybee somebody can come up with some dates and maybe even a box score or two. Thanks

Courtesy of Baseball-Almanac, here's the box score from April 22, 1970, a 2-1 Senators win over the Yankees in 18 innings.

April 22, 1970 (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=197004220WS2)

Frank Robinson hit 2 grand slams against the Senators in a 12-2 Orioles win on June 26, 1970. Box score here;

June 26, 1970 (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=197006260WS2)

[TallIndian]

I see from the box score that Joe Grzenda won that game. He looked old back in 1970!

It looked like anyone could hit his pitching -- but I think his era was under 2.00 for a substantial part of 1970.

[Steve Jeltz]

How did Rick Reichardt manage to go 2 for 2 with 2 RBI against Dave McNally in that Baltimore game on June 26, 1970? :noidea I guess McNally got upset because I noticed that Reichardt got hit by a pitch.

[swbredbaronfan]

Thanx Ed and aa3rt for posting the dates and the box score links.

[TallIndian]

How did Rick Reichardt manage to go 2 for 2 with 2 RBI against Dave McNally in that Baltimore game on June 26, 1970? :noidea I guess McNally got upset because I noticed that Reichardt got hit by a pitch.

As a Nat's fan, I hated McNally. He had a 16 game win streak where he always seemed to win a game on a close call by the ump.

Booed him mercilessly the one time I saw him pitch.

However, I still remember that awful feeling when I read that he had passed away. He was a remarkable pitcher who was overshadowed by Jim Palmer.