William F. Yurasko's D.C. Baseball Portal - yurasko.net

WILLIAM F. YURASKO

Welcome Raw Fisher readers
This is my old Nationals Portal which is VERY outdated. I cover the Nationals every day on my blog, William World News. You will be redirected there in 60 seconds, click here to get there sooner.
If you would like to read this page without being redirected, click here.

Nationals script from Chris Creamer's Sports Logo Net.

Representing D.C. baseball in early September 2004 at Stade de Olympique. Thankfully this has not yet turned out to be an act of hubris./Photo by Erica Marker

Welcome back to my D.C. baseball portal, a supplement to William World News, which has detailed the push for D.C. baseball since March 2004 when I started my blog. Now that we have the team, I thought I would update the page.


Home	Away

When I first created this page, I used it to advocate that we get the team and that they be called Senators or Grays. I called this enterprise a "triumph of hope over experience" because D.C. has been left behind so many times before. Of course, now we think we have the team for the long haul and they will be named Nationals. I was not a huge fan of this nickname previously, but since the team was christened, I have come around. The original AL team here was called Nationals for about fifty years, so it works. Plus, Nats is a great nickname.

Senators (1959-60) script from Chris Creamer's Sports Logo Net. This is what I wanted them to be called and the logo I wanted them to use.

This page exists to be a one-stop source for all things D.C. Baseball, with the exception of daily stories. Those can be found on the aforementioned blog or by typing in "Expos," "Nats," or "Nationals" into the search field on the right navigation portion of the page.

This would be a great hat!

For the record, here are some things that I would like to have seen happen or that still can:

I would like to see the Montreal Expos permanently move to D.C. (not Northern Virginia) IT HAPPENED! (WE THINK)

Name them the Washington Senators (though Grays would work too, more later). NOPE, THEY ARE THE NATIONALS

I would also like to see them have a uniform similar to the last one the original Senators wore (script at the top), but the cap should have "DC" on it. DID NOT HAPPEN EIHTER, THOUGH THEY HAVE A SECONDARY LOGO THAT SAYS "DC"

Also, I would like outgoing W*USA-TV sports anchor Frank Herzog to become "the voice" of the Senators (Home run, WASHINGTON Senators!). IT COULD STILL HAPPEN

For promotional purposes, the Senators ought to shoot film of a Senators flag blowing in the wind with the Capitol and Washington Monument in the background, like the classic NFL Films shot of the Redskins flag. THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN

Also, Frank Howard's number should be retired.* Heroes of the Homestead Grays and Walter Johnson (if applicable) should also have their numbers retired. When a new ballpark is built, statues for these greats should also be erected. IT MIGHT HAPPEN

* Back in 1992 (I think) I went to RFK to see an exhibition game between the Yankees and Mets. In a rather unusual pre-game ceremony, Frank Howard, then the Yankees batting coach, had his number 33 retired. I do not know who was retiring it though. It was said the number would hang in RFK, but in return trips, I never saw it. Also, due to a wet field, the game was postponed. I did catch a couple of other exhibition games at RFK in the early '90s.

Official Sites

Washington Nationals - The Home Team!

RFK Stadium - our home

Washington Baseball Club, L.L.C. - a prospective ownership group and long the flagbearer for D.C baseball.

Baseball Returns to DC! - District government site about D.C. baseball

Montreal Expos - What the Nats used to be...

Media Links

D.C. Baseball - The Washington Post

Nationals clubhouse - ESPN.com

Beltway Ballgame - The Baltimore Sun

History

Bringing Back the Senators - The Post
A day by day, game by game account of the 1924 World Championship season.

Rowdy Fans Hand Senators Final Loss - The Post
The final Senators game story.

Washington Senators on BigBruno.com
Mostly photographs from the '60s franchise, plus a reunion of the '69 team.

Earl's Senator Page
Not the greatest design, but lots of cool stuff inside.

Remember the Grays
A look back at the Negro League's Homestead Grays who played many of their home games in D.C.'s Griffith Stadium. The author of this site wants a new D.C. baseball team to be known as the Grays in honor of that team. He makes a pretty good argument for it.

Nixon and Sports Chronology
Very intersting, includes specific dates about the Senators move and the failure to relocate the Padres here. Richard Nixon was a huge sports fan, though something of a curse for teams he cheered on.

Shirley Povich, longtime sports editor for The Post

The Senators' Final Game (1971)

Baseball: Here Today and Gone Tomorrow (1990)

1924: When Senators Were Kings (1994)

Chris Creamer's Sports Logos.Net

Logos and uniforms from D.C.'s three ball clubs:

Washington Nationals 1901 - 1960

Washington Senators 1960 - 1971

Washington Nationals 2005 -

Some favorite blog posts, in order of importance and then date published

That magical day!

VICTORY - September 29, 2004
The post-announcement post. I was at the press conference that day. I have a gallery too.

JOY - December 21, 2004
The first post after the D.C. council made it official. You can see the follow up on the next day here.

THEY Q%&#$@!-ING BLEW IT! - December 15, 2004
The day after the amended ballpark bill passed and MLB announced they would pull out of the deal if it was not altered.

MUCH ADO ABOUT FUNDING - December 11, 2004
Guest analyst D. Berg Pisarcik makes a contribution.

29 - 1 - December 4, 2004
The owners vote in favor of D.C. having the team. Guess who disagrees?

OFF THE CUFF NATS NOTES - December 2, 2004
Sacarstic suggestions and observations about the process, including my idea to ambush an anti-ballpark rally.

DON'T MESS WITH CHARLIE AND NATS HATS - November 23, 2004
Former p.a. announcer Charlie Brotman goes to the mat for the Nats and the new hats are released.

IT IS OFFICIAL: WASHINGTON NATIONALS - November 22, 2004
MLB makes official the worst kept secret in Washington and unleashes what Ryan Moore called, "Our Long Nationals Nightmare."

BALTIMOREAN OF THE YEAR - July 1, 2004
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley announces he favors D.C. baseball. For that, I named him Baltimorean of the Year.

ANOTHER BALTIMOREAN OF THE YEAR - July 12, 2004
Less than two weeks after O'Malley is named BOTY, Brooks Robinson is named Co-Baltimorean of the Year for his support.

The first mention - April 9, 2004
My first D.C. baseball post. It's buried below other headlines.

EXTRA BONUS COVERAGE!
Years ago, I did something like a blog called William World News. Way back in March 2000, I posted a Tom Boswell column and said, "Move the Expos to RFK Stadium. Now." Go here and scroll down to March 9, 2000.

NATS BLOGS

Dinstinguished Senators
Ball Wonk
Capitol Punishment
D.C. Baseball
The Nats Blog
Nationals Pastime