Good Reading for Nats Fans
By Editorial Staff
The history of Washington baseball is not rich with championships and winning seasons, but instead grossly full of pessimism. Yet every fan should have an understanding of their team’s history, and should be able to reference great players and games. Washington has hosted three franchises over the last 150 years, which included the Washington Senators twice and Washington Nationals currently. There is plenty of places to reference the history of Washington baseball, but there are sources that provide the most reliable information.
The best book that illustrates the history of Washington baseball was written by Frederic J Frommer, and it is titled The Washington Nationals 1859 to Today “The story of Baseball in the Nation’s Capital”. The book provides great pictures of Washington greats like Walter Johnson and Harmon Killebrew, and timelines the three franchises that have resided in the nation’s capital. Frommer provides the most detail in regards to the historical accounts of these three franchises, and includes a chapter on the Negro League Grays. The Grays were the Washington team represented in the Negro League, and were named by some historians as the greatest baseball team ever assembled.
Fans that educate themselves about the history of the sport and the franchise they follow gain a higher level of appreciation for the game. Once you begin to understand the game and its history, it is easier to recognize when the elements of winning start to come together. The Nationals history does not trend winning, but the direction and approach this Washington franchise has taken mirrors past champions.