A Whole New Ballgame: The 1969 Washington Senators

I was the one sitting in the upper deck at RFK Stadium yelling,"Oh yeah, It's a whole new ballgame," on Opening Day 1969. Of course I was being sarcastic, as the Senators were losing terribly, under new owner Robert Short and new manager Ted Williams. I love this book because it brought back so many memories of that 1969 Washington Senators team and the entire memorable season. Author Stephen Walker is to be thanked by those of us that remembered and lived during that great season. In his book, he talks about how most of the players learned so much from just listening to "Teddy Ballgame." He uses each chapter to remind us of each of the ballplayers, what they did before their new manager arrived and what they did, wonderfully after. So many wonderful memories. I even listened to the games through an ear piece while taking a date the the movies. I really missed going to ballgames at RFK, when Short moved MY Senators to Arlington Texas. But now bleed orange and black as an Orioles fan. Going to the new Nationals Park is not a pleasant experience. It has very little atmosphere and does not give the old Senators their just due. I think the saying goes, "First in war, first in peace and last in the American League." If you, like me, remember that wonderful season, or are just a sports fan, I think you will enjoy reading this book.

Author Stephen Walker brings the 1969 Washington Senators and their memorable season to life in "It's a Whole New Ballgame: The 1969 Washington Senators."The Senators, under the guidance of Manager Ted Williams, finished with a surprising 86-76 record, winning 21 more games than they had in 1968. The club drew 918,000 fans to RFK Stadium, an increase of 68 percent.Senators owner Bob Short, who would turn out to be a villain to Senators fans for moving the club to Texas after the 1971 season, scored a coup when he convinced Hall of Famer Ted Williams to take the reins of the Washington club.Williams resolved to change the team's self-image and elevated the team's expectations. Walker writes that Williams "transformed hopeless losers into tough-minded winners and good hitters into great ones."Catcher Jim French said, "Our 1969 record was much better than our talent." He added, "Ted had the greatest presence of anyone I ever met."Pitcher Dave Baldwin said, "Ted was a goldmine of information. I learned more from him how hitters think than I had in 10 years of baseball."Williams preached patience to hitters and encouraged pitchers to throw more sliders. Frank Howard, Ed Brinkman and Mike Epstein and others flourished at bat under Williams' tutelage, while Dick Bosman and Darold Knowles thrived on the mound.Interviews with many of the 1969 Senators raises this book above the typical collection of newspaper clippings. Walker chooses critical games in which a Senator played a key role to discuss their background, observations of the season and career after the 1969 season. He paints interesting portraits of players such as Jim French, Dave Baldwin, Ed Stroud, Hank Allen, Bernie Allen, Darold Knowles, Dick Bosman, Ed Brinkman, Frank Howard and others.The portraits of some of the Washington "irregulars" such as Stroud, Allen and Bob Humphreys prove to be most interesting.Not every player flourished under Williams, who could be crude, arrogant and stubborn. He clashed with pitcher Joe Coleman about the use of the slider and Bernie Allen about playing time. For most Senators, however, the 1969 season was special and one to cherish.This book is rich with personalities and anecdotes. For those who remember the 1969 Senators, it's a delightful trip down memory lane, featuring many aspects of the players and the season that you didn't know or have forgotten. For those too young to remember, it will make you sorry you missed that memorable season.

I can remember opening a pack of 1969 Topps baseball cards and seeing Ted Williams manager Washington Senators and thinking how unusual that was not to see him in a Red Sox uniform, it just didn't seem right.What did seem right and this book so well chronicles is the he turned the Senators team around if only for a short period of time pushing them from perennial losers to winners.Author Stephen J. Walker has done a nice job of recreating the 1969 Washington Senators environment for the reader. There are stories from just about everyone on the Senators roster talking about the 1969 season and the effect that Ted Williams had on them. How it changed their careers or at least how they became stars at least for that one year.Walker give the reader Some history on the Washington Senators and the various incarnations of the Senators and decades of loosing baseball teams in Washington DC.This incarnation of the Washington Senators was born in 1961 after another Washington Senators team left town in 1960 to become the Minnesota Twins.A whole new ball game really captures the essence of who Ted Williams was as a manager and how most of the players really respected him not only for his accomplishments as a player but as a manager teaching them how to win and changing their mindsets and philosophies about them game. Walker talks about the personalities on the team and how they intermingled with each other. Frank Howard, Casey Cox, Ed Brinkmen, Tec Williams, Mike Epstein etc, which was key to how they played together.Walker recounts the season including important games and details in those games that had an impact. No, the Senators didn't make it to the playoffs but they did finally finish a season with a winning record. Unfortunately winning baseball didn't stay in Washington DC and by 1972 this version of the Washing Senators had moved to Arlington Texas to become the Texas Rangers.Walker gives the reader a brief biography of each of the players talked about in the book including what they did after their retirement.Very well written, an and enjoyable read.

Well written and well researched book for those who love baseball, and especially for those of us who remember the years of the lovable expansion Senators. I enjoyed every bit of it. There is also a listing of the complete stats for the 1969 Senators season, along with some great short biographies of many of the players. It will stay on my bookshelf with other baseball books that I treasure.