The Squibber THE BOB DAVIDS CHAPTER E-NEWSLETTER Spring 2007 This newsletter is produced by the Bob Davids Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), which serves SABR members in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware.  Visit the chapter's official website at www.sabrdc.org for a current description of the chapter's program of activities and volunteer needs. This quarterly newsletter is distributed electronically to members.  The deadline for material for the next newsletter is July 1, 2007. Submissions can be sent to Squibber editor Walt Cherniak at wcherniakjr@aol.com.  Keep sending us those squibs, and those ideas for squibs! CONTENTS - Spring 2007 1. The Whole Baseball in Our Hand:  How the Nats Can Help Improve Youth Baseball in D.C.,  by Gary Weinstein 2. Before the Miracle:  Gil Hodges' First Managing Job, by Jeff Stuart 3. Are They Real or "Spoofs?":  A Look at Extral-Long Games, by Phil Lowry 4. Talkin' Baseball::  Baseball Authors Scheduled to Speak, by David Paulson 5. The 1969 Senators:  Did Ted Deserve All the Credit? by Walt Cherniak 6.   From the BioProject  Goslin Among Nearly 500 Biographies Completed, by Jan Finkel 7.   Report from Bethesda:  Big Train Season Begins June 2, by Bill Hickman 1. THE WHOLE BASEBALL IN OUR HAND:  How the Nats Can Help Improve Youth Baseball in D.C. -- by Gary Weinstein The D.C. community today holds a new baseball in its hand, unblemished and full of promise. The challenge now is to make the most of the golden opportunity at hand.  One aspect of that challenge is to work together to create and improve youth baseball programs in ways that will make a difference for D.C. kids and neighborhoods.  I believe the D.C. community-in partnership with the District government, Major League Baseball and the Nationals ownership-is up to the challenge. As a youth baseball and softball coach and organizer in the D.C. area for 20 years, I've watched the D. C. baseball saga with interest from my nose-bleed bleacher seats, occasionally sneaking down to box seats, to testify before the Council. Lots of people deserve a standing ovation for crafting the baseball deal, including every Council member, the Mayor and his aides; sports commission officials; MLB officials; the mediator; and many others. In my work as a youth coach, the most significant lesson, I've learned is this: a good youth sports program can be a powerful way to make a difference in the life of a child-and in a community.  I've seen it with my own eyes many times: a good program can be particularly important for boys and girls who face difficult problems.  There are good reasons to believe that the Nats owner will be a driving force to improve youth baseball in the District.  Lease provisions and promises by MLB set the stage for the District to become a model for inner-city youth baseball and softball. The likely benefits to the District extend way beyond improved youth baseball and softball programs.  But, reinvigorated and expanded youth programs will mean a lot to D.C. kids, families, and communities. A dozen years ago, I helped launch a youth baseball league.  The birth of Takoma Park-Silver Spring Babe Ruth happened primarily because of community teamwork: parents, schools, and businesses joining forces to make it happen.  But MLB helped get the ball rolling, by donating equipment and money, and in other ways. For example, Oriole legend Cal Ripken, Jr. gave the league a substantial check to support our scholarship program to recruit, support, and subsidize children from low-income families.  Cal also talked to a group of players about the importance of hard work, teamwork, and perseverance.  Recently, a young man who heard Cal's inspiring talk told me that Cal's message was a big factor in his decision to stay in college. Many years ago, a scholarship player told me he was considering dropping out of high school because he was struggling academically, he was bored, and his family needed money.  His coach found him a tutor, a study group with peers, a local basketball team to play on, and a part-time job.  Last year he graduated college. Today, he has a good full-time job. Last fall I attended an event sponsored by Fields of Dreams, a program at some D.C. elementary schools that integrates baseball, academics, and life skills.  After school, girls and boys study academic and life skills for an hour.  Then they play baseball.  A Mom of a boy in the program told me, "I was worried my son would be so focused on baseball that it would hurt his schoolwork.  Instead, the opposite has happened.  He knows if he doesn't do his best in school, he can't play ball." The kids who stayed in school, and worked hard at it, deserve the credit.  But youth sports programs helped steer them on the right path, and taught them key life lessons. The Nationals ownership will play an important role in improving D.C. youth baseball because of what's in the lease, and because it's in the team's self-interest to ensure that youth baseball programs thrive, to help build a current and future fan base. The lease approved by the Council details the team's community benefit obligations, including the team's "responsibility to promote and contribute to charitable, educational and community organizations and other public works" in D.C.  The lease also obligates the team to "maintain, fund, and vigorously promote" a foundation for the benefit of youth and other D.C. residents, and requires the Nats to work on "rebuilding youth baseball infrastructure," including renovating fields, supporting after-school programs, and working with others to develop a year-round facility in D.C. that will host baseball-oriented training and education programs. Beyond youth baseball, I believe the new ballpark will accelerate economic and neighborhood revitalization.  The stadium will be a hub of fun and urban renewal.  It will expand cultural and employment opportunities, enrich life in the District in other ways, and result in new money to D.C. coffers. While the baseball saga has been divisive at times, it's time for all of us to come together, as a team, as one community.  We have the whole baseball in our hands.  Let's make the most of that opportunity. Gary Weinstein coaches youth and high school baseball in the District.  He is Founding Commissioner of the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Babe Ruth League  An abridged version of this article appeared in the Washington Examiner last year. 2.  BEFORE THE MIRACLE - Gil Hodges' First Managing Job - by Jeff Stuart It was 40 years ago that Gil Hodges taught the gang to play? well, 44 years. Dodger great Gil Hodges, acquired from the New York Mets in return for outfielder Jim Piersall, took over the helm of the Washington Senators just 40 games into the 1963 season.  While the club lost a franchise record 106 times, Hodges proved a stabilizing influence.  The club adopted the slogan, "Off The Floor in 64," and Washington did escape the cellar, finishing ninth. The Nats improved every year under Hodges' patient guidance.  Nobody seemed to notice much.  The improvements, like Hodges, were modest.  In 1965, Washington obtained 6' 7" outfielder Frank Howard, pitchers Pete Richert, and Phil Ortega, and first baseman Dick Nen in return for Claude Osteen and infielder John Kennedy.  It was the best deal in the history of the franchise.  Howard, hitting mammoth home runs, was an instant fan favorite, and the team avoided 100 losses for the first time.  In 1966, Senators avoided 90 losses for the first time, finishing in eighth place. Despite losing 8-0, to the Yankees and nemesis Mel Stottlemyre on opening day, and some of the worst weather in a decade, the Nats set a franchise attendance record in 1967.  Hodges had helped to rework the batting stances of Ken McMullen and Frank Howard.  Howard adopted a spread eagle approach and slammed 36 homers, the most he had ever hit in the majors and the most by a Senator since Harmon Killebrew had hit 42 in 1959. "I would still like to see a higher batting average and fewer strike outs from him," said Hodges, "but it's hard to ask too much more from him."  McMullen was also urged to open up his stance.  His average rose to around .260.  The third baseman became the Nats' most valuable player in the drive to the .500 mark in mid-August. Hodges wanted Hank Allen to "wait on the ball."  He wanted Ed Stroud to close up his hitting stance.  "He's capable of beating out hits, but it's difficult for him to get a good jump now the way he's spread out at the plate," he said. The Nats played 18 extra-inning games that year.  Those included a16-inning game at Chicago on April 16, the second game of  double header, a 19-inning game on June 4, a 22-inning game against the White Sox at RFK on June 12, a 20-inning game at Minnesota on August 9, and a 16-inning game against the Indians at RFK on August 17. In the June 12th marathon, the Senators beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 in 22 innings.  The game lasted 6 hours, 38 minutes.  Paul Casanova singled home the winning run at 2:43 A.M.  Afterward, the American League voted to adopt a 1 A.M. curfew.  In the 20-inning game at Minnesota, McMullen's leadoff homer in the top of the 20th gave the Nats the lead.  Howard doubled and later scored on a sacrifice by Dick Nen to give Washington a 9-7 lead and Dave Baldwin protected it in the bottom half of the inning.  It was his first major league win.  The Senators lost the other three ultra-marathons. Hodges played a 4-3 loss to the Angels in Anaheim on June 26th under protest because he felt Jack Hamilton was throwing a spitter.  When Hamilton pitched in Washington on July 28th the tabloid Washington Daily News bannered "A Wet Time Tonight." advising readers to "bring your binoculars to the ball park.  Hairbreath Harry is in town." 31,101 were on hand as Ortega won his seventh straight and the Nats breezed to an 8-1 win, their 15th win in 21 games.  Umpire Ed Runge at third, plate umpire Jim Odom and Hank Soar at first took turns warning Hamilton and insisting he wipe his hand across his shirt.  Senators hitters demanded extra looks.  Hodges came out to discuss the matter in the second inning.  The Nats led 3-1 when Hamilton left for a pinch hitter in the seventh. The Nats lost the first three games and the final game in the month of July.  "We found out on opening day you can't win 'em all," said Hodges.  But the Nats played solidly during the rest of the month, compiling the American League's best record, 17-6 defeats.  A crowd of 23,728 watched the Nats beat the Indians on July 17 to stretch their longest winning streak of the year to eight games. A 2-0 win in Kansas City on August 13 moved the Nats to the .500 mark at 58-58.  This was cause for celebration in Washington.  A crowd of 4,000 greeted the team when it returned to Washington on a Sunday night.  And a crowd of 27,138 watched the first game of the following homestand.  The club was within six games of the league-leading White Sox. The Nats finished the year on a four-game winning streak and there was definite enthusiasm looking forward to 1968.  The club had finished with their best attendance since 1947, finishing in sixth place with a 76-85 record.  "Wait till next year" was more than an empty phrase. Hodges was coveted by a number of teams, but he had a generous expense account with the Senators which allowed him to commute to his Brooklyn home.  He felt a deep loyalty to the Senators, and had laid the foundation for success. "First division is a definite possibility for us next year," said the 43-year-old manager.  "This is the youngest club we've ever had and these fellas could all come at once next year.  I expect to be here with them.  I have a contract that goes through 1968, and I have every intention of honoring it.  It's nice to be wanted, but I can't picture myself in that much demand." But he was.  The Los Angeles Dodgers had Walt Alston, but made no secret that if he retired, Hodges would be their first choice.  The Mets and Pirates were both considering Hodges.  Whitey Herzog was considered the front runner for the Mets job. On November 27, 1967, the New York Mets announced the signing of Hodges as their new manager.  The Mets were in last place at the end of the 1967 season, exactly the same place the Senators were when Hodges arrived in Washington.  Looking for the same steady improvement they had seen in their American League expansion counterpart, they turned to the popular Brooklyn hero. The Mets sent Pitcher Bill Denehy to the Nats for Hodges, in the first manager-for-player swap. "I was working in the off-season at an office on Wall St. at the time," said former Washington pitcher Jim Hannan.  "I go up to New York and I tell the guys, 'The Mets are going to win the pennant in a couple of years.'"  They said, 'You've got to be out of your mind.  The Mets?'  I said, 'You wait and see.  You've got some great young pitchers (Seaver, Koosman) and you're getting a great, great coaching staff and a great manager.'" "Gil probably knew the game from start to finish as well as any manager I've ever been associated with-and I've been associated with some great ones," said Frank Howard. The Mets won 12 more games in 1968, escaping the cellar.  But in September, Hodges had a heart attack.  Gil, often called the "Quiet Man," was advised by many to "let off more steam". Hodges did not explode more often in 1969 but the Mets did, winning the National League pennant and taking four out of five games from the highly favored Baltimore Orioles in one of the biggest upsets in World Series history.  It was a glimpse, perhaps, of what might have been in Washington. 3. ARE THEY REAL OR 'SPOOFS'?:  A Look at Extra-Long Games - by Phil Lowry Here are the historical details of some extremely long games that are assumed to be real, but which could be spoofs.  Is it possible they never really happened? The first lasted 28 innings at South Bethlehem, Pa., on June 10, 1907.  The amateur Empire Club 3, Empals Club 1.  The game was played one day before an assumed spoof in the same city, so it must be viewed with some suspicion. The second game lasted 36 innings, at Recreation Park (I), Columbus, Ohio, on July 5, 1907.  Final score was the Heintz Victors 2, Columbus Selects 2 in three hours, 50 minutes. Here are eight definite spoofs I've uncovered. 1873 -- 39 innings, published in Oct. 2, 1884 Oregonian newspaper of Portland, based on recent issue of Denver Opinion newspaper.  It is supposedly based on a story told by a resident of Oregon to a resident of Denver. Bulletin Printers 1, Oregonian Printers 0, in 12 hours, finished at 1 A.M.  It was called a tie at dusk after 22 innings, but vigorous disagreement from fans and players caused the umpire to reconsider. Lanterns and locomotive headlights were found to light the field, and in the bottom of the 39th, Bulletin's George Good lofted long fly to right, which was dropped and booted by Oregonian's right fielder Estabrook for four-base error to end the game.  Asked about his error by reporters after the game, Estabrook stated, "The moon was shining in my face and I couldn't see the ball." --- 1907 -- 20 innings, published in June 12, 1907  Bethlehem Globe newspaper.  The amateur game was played at Clerks' Field, Bethlehem, Pa., on June 11, 1907.  Never Works 13, Never Sweats 12.  There's no proof, but this game is assumed to be spoof of clerks who sit at desks and never work and never sweat. However, an account of this game was published with a full line score and players' names that don't sound fake.  The game was played one day after a 28-inning game in the same city that was assumed to be real.  (See above) --- 1907 -- 50 innings, published in an unknown publication.  The game was played in Munchausen, Pa., on July 11, 1907 between two semi-pro teams.  Final score was Lyerhelms 0, Fakenhursts 0. The teams were named after the respective pitchers, Lyerhelm (Liar) and Fakenhurst (Faker).  Lyeherlm pitched a no-hitter, struck out 93, and gave up only one walk, while Fakenhurst had a perfect game and struck out 89. The game's fictional location was named after Baron von Munchausen, who lived in Germany from 1720 to 1797, and whose tall tales were so outrageous and ridiculous that the medical profession decided to name after him the syndrome of feigning, faking, or exaggerating illnesses, the "Munchausen Syndrome." The Baron was also the lead character of a popular radio show in the days before TV, in which he would tell a whopper of a tall tale, and his sidekick Charlie would question its veracity.  Then, in a very thick German accent, the Baron would ask "Vass you dere, Sharlie?" After Charlie admitted that he had not been there, the Baron would always say, "Den maybe it vass so." --- 1907 -- 57 innings, published in March 17, 1908  Washington Post.  The game was played at the Jones County Eye, Ear, and Tongue Infirmary Diamond, near Schenectady, N.Y. In a Jones County League game, the score was Lightfoot Lilies 1, Ringtail Roarers 0, in a game that took nearly an entire day.  There was a 23-minute "phosphorus procurement delay" in the top of the 18th.  The game ended at dawn on the second day, and was called a tie at dusk after 17 innings. But a vigorous disagreement from fans and players caused the umpire to reconsider, so a farmer drove his horse-drawn wagon to a nearby university's chemistry lab to obtain phosphorus, which was smeared on the ball, enabling the game to be continued as dawn approached. The Lilies took a 1-0 lead in top of 57th on a mammoth homer by Bull Thompson.  In the bottom of the 57th, Bruiser Brown was at bat with a full count, runners on second and third, and only one out.  But the Lilies' pitcher picked the Roarers runner off second "like a flash". At the same time a firefly emerged  out of the grass and flitted across the plate.  Nervous and overstrung, Brown struck viciously at the firefly and struck out to end the game. --- 1908 -- 2,614 innings, published in the 1986 novel, The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W.P. Kinsella.  The game took 40 days in the summer of 1908, beginning July 4 and ending Aug. 12 just after dawn.  The Iowa Baseball Confederacy All-Stars beat the Chicago Cubs, 15-14.  A Confederacy pinch hitter hit a homer in the bottom of the 2,614th to win it. The game was tied 1-1 after seven innings and called a tie, but after vehement protest from the Cubs, this decision was reversed and the game allowed to continue to a decision.  It was tied 5-5 after nine innings, tied 6-6 after 13 innings. The game was tied 9-9 after 25 innings, tied 10-10 after 36 innings, tied 11-11 after 40 innings, tied 12-12 after 70 innings, tied 13-13 after 92 innings, tied 14-14 after 99 innings.  --- 1926 -- 33 innings, published in Aug. 1, 1926 Washington Post, as reported by St. Louis Insects Manager Tastle.  The game was played in either St. Louis, or Washington, D.C. on July 31, 1926. Featuring an unknown amateur or professional team (the Insects) vs. an NCAA club, the game's final score was, St. Louis Insects 5, Georgetown University Hoyas 4. Insects manager Tastle reported that Insects winning pitcher Tastle (same name as manager) went the full route, while losing pitcher Slornoi pitched only 20 innings before being relieved. --- 1985 --  unknown number of innings, published in Sports Illustrated April 1 and April 8, 1985, article by George Plimpton.  The game was played at Al Lang Stadium at Payson Field Complex, St. Petersburg, Fla., the spring training site for the New York Mets, from Feb. 2, through April 8, 1985. Eccentric 28-year old Buddhist pitcher Hayden "Sidd" (for Siddhartha, meaning Aim Attained, the Perfect Pitch) Finch appeared with a 168-m.p.h. fastball.  Finch reportedly was raised in an orphanage in Leicester, England, and adopted by eminent archaeologist Francis Whyte-Finch who later died in an airplane crash while on expediton in Dhaulagiri mountain area of Nepal.  He was schooled at Stowe School in Buckingham, England and later at Harvard College, where he dropped out in his sophomore year. Finch studied to be Buddhist monk at a lamasery in Tibet, becoming a disciple of Lama Milaraspa, a great 11th century Tibetan poet and saint who died in the shadow of Mount Everest.  Finch played the French horn so well that the Philadelphia Orchestra was trying to hire him before the Mets could do so.  He was discovered as a pitching phenom after a July 1984 Tidewater Tides at Maine Guides game in Old Orchard Beach, Me. AAA Tides Manager Bob Schaefer saw Finch hit a soda pop bottle and later a tin can on a fence post by throwing an incredibly fast fastball from a distance of about 60 feet away.  He was trained in a private enclosure at 1985 spring training by Mets pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, along with reserve catcher Ronn Reynolds. Finch owned nothing but a French horn, a small rug, a long stick, a backpack and a soup bowl.  He announced at a press conference that his perfect pitch had deserted him, then walked out and disappeared. ---- 2003 -- 28 innings, published by ESPN.com.  This "game" was played at Fenway Park in Boston in October 2003.  It was the seventh game of the World Series between the two most major league franchises most famous for being "losers." The final score was Cubs 3, Red Sox 3.  As the rest of the dejected Cubs were going through security at Boston's Logan Airport for their flight home, and only one strike away from defeat, Cubs star outfielder Sammy Sosa homers off the CITGO sign with an 0-2 count, and two outs in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 1-1 and send it into extra innings. With fire and brimstone raining from the sky and home runs flying out of the ballpark constantly, the game moved to the 13th inning and then 17th and then 22nd and then 28th. Red Sox Manager Grady Little sticks with pitcher Pedro Martinez and Cubs manager Dusty Baker sticks with pitcher Kerry Wood, until finally a meteorite strikes Governor-Elect Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sacramento, Calif. This prompted an enraged Manny Ramirez to charge the mound, oceans empty their basins and flood the planet, and a dust cloud to encircle the planet, bringing average temperatures across the globe down by 30 degrees.  Crops are killed, and massive starvation spreads, bringing about the near-extinction of the human species. Finally, the game is called, thus preserving "losing" reputations for BOTH the Cubs AND the Red Sox. 4. TALKIN' BASEBALL: -- Baseball Authors Scheduled to Speak -- by David Paulson Here is the schedule for "Talkin' Baseball" presentations by baseball authors over the next six months: March 10 - Ted Leavengood:  The 2005 Washington Nationals - Baseball Returns to Washington April 14 - Jeff Seidell:  Tales and Tributes to Cal Ripken May 12 - David Vincent:  Home Run: The Definitive History of Baseball's Ultimate Weapon June 9 - John Eisenberg:  From 33rd St. to Camden Yards July 14 - Brad Snyder:  A Well-Paid Slave Aug. 11 - Tom Stanton:  Ty and the Babe (tentative) The "Talkin" Baseball group meets at 9 A.M., on the second Saturday of each month, at Barnes & Noble, Long Gate Shopping Center, 4300 Montgomery Road, Ellicott City, Md.  Admission is free.  Stop on by, and bring a friend! 5. THE 1969 SENATORS:  Did Ted Deserve All the Credit? -- by Walt Cherniak For fans of the "Washington Senators, Version 2.0," that is, the expansion team that played in Washington from 1961 through 1971 before high-tailing it to Texas, there really aren't a lot of positive historic moments to recall.  There are favorite players, of course, and favorite games, but when you think of those Senators, what you usually recall most fondly is 1969. That's the year Ted Williams strode in to town, replacing Jim Lemon as the club's manager and leading the Senators to the only winning season they enjoyed during the 11 years of their existence.  Never mind that they still finished 23 games behind American League East champion Baltimore; this team had people excited. Williams has often been called the greatest hitter of all time.  Whether or not that's true, he's certainly on the short list.  And no one ever spent more time TALKING about hitting than the Splendid Splinter.  The Senators improved by 21 games under Williams' guidance, winning 86 games.  And the improvement of Washington's hitting was cited as a major reason for the turnaround. But how much of difference did Williams really make?  How much did those hitters REALLY improve, and did the improvement last?  A closer look at the situation, and the numbers, reveals that the truth was a little different than you might think. First, let's look at the hard numbers.  In 1968, the year before Williams arrived, the Senators were seventh in the American League with 524 runs scored.  They were fourth in the league with 124 homers, but batted just .224, better only than the Yankees. But 1968 was the "Year of the Pitcher."  Carl Yastrzemski, at .301, was the American League's only .300 hitter, and he won the batting title by 11 points.  The Senators had the league's worst ERA at 3.64.  In 2006, that figure would have LED the league by 50 points. So, prior to the beginning of the 1969 season, the "Lords of Baseball" lowered the pitcher's mound and shrunk the strike zone, which led to a predictable increase in offense.  It also was an expansion year, with the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots coming on board.  Any year-to-year analysis of offensive improvement has to take into account the 20 or so pitchers who wouldn't have been in the league the year before. In 1969, every American League team scored more runs that it had the year before, generally a lot more runs.  The Senators scored 694 runs, sixth best in the league.  Their batting average rose to .251, tied for third in the circuit, and their 148 homers were tied for fifth. Williams' admonition was "get a good pitch to hit," and his emphasis on plate discipline can be seen immediately.  The Senators were ninth in on-base percentage in 1968, but fourth in 1969, despite having essentially the same group of hitters.  So, the Senators' offense did improve, but not much more than other teams. A bigger difference could be seen in individual hitters.  Frank Howard, considering how terrible things were for hitters, had an amazing season in 1968.  He batted .274 (the league hit .230), led the majors with 44 homers, and was second to former roommate Ken Harrelson with 106 RBI.  However, the free-swinging Hondo struck out 141 times, and walked just 54 times. Williams convinced Howard to be more patient, and he responded with his two finest seasons in 1969-70.  With no loss of power, Howard saw his batting average soar, primarily due to a huge increase in walks.  In 1969, Howard batted .296-48-111, drew 102 walks and cut his strikeouts to 96.  But Howard was an All-Star before Williams arrived.  His greater successes were among players who hadn't produced offensively in the majors.  Most notable was light-hitting shortstop Ed Brinkman, a wizard with the glove, but a gnome with the bat.  Headed into 1969, Brinkman had never batted higher than .229 in six years as a regular, and he'd hit below .190 in three of the previous four seasons, including a .187 mark in 1968. Under Williams, however, Brinkman morphed into a much more disciplined, if not actually dangerous hitter.  He batted .266 with 50 walks, and scored a career-high 71 runs.  Brinkman followed it up with a very similar season in 1970. Mike Epstein never lacked for talent.  A left-handed first baseman with great power, Epstein had struggled to find consistency since being acquired from the Orioles in a trade for Pete Richert.  He became an everyday player for the first time in 1968, but managed just a .234 average with 13 homers and 33 RBI.  He fanned 91 times, but drew only 48 walks. Williams' preaching of patience obviously had an impact on Epstein, however, as he erupted for 30 home runs and 85 RBI, improving his average to .278.  More important, he learned to wait for his pitch, drawing 85 walks and finishing third in the American League with a .414 on-base percentage. There was no denying the influence of Williams.  But short-term fixes usually are much easier than long-term ones.  Sure, Williams helped his hitters improve.  But did they stay that way? In 1970, the Senators scored just 626 runs, 10th in the American League and 68 fewer than the year before.  They hit 10 fewer homers, and batted just .238, tied for the lowest in the league.  After winning 86 games in 1969, they dropped to 70 victories and finished last in the A.L. East. Howard and Brinkman carried their 1969 improvement into a second year, but Epstein's numbers fell across the board to .256-20-56.  He would have additional solid seasons, but 1969 would remain the high-water mark of his career. Brinkman fell into his old bad habits after 1970 and would never bat higher than .237 again.  Howard was 34 when the Senators bolted for Texas following the 1971 season, and his power seemed to leave with the franchise.  He plummeted to just 10 home runs in 1972, and injuries and reduced bat speed limited him to part-time duty in his final major league season, 1973. 6. FROM THE BIOPROJECT:  Goslin Among Nearly 500 Biographies Completed - by Jan Finkel As of late February 24, the BioProject has 495 completed biographies, many written or edited by members of the Bob Davids Chapter. I want to direct you to the work of one member of the chapter, whose research and writing always merit a second or even fifth reading. Cort Vitty has written four bios for us:  Buzz Arlett, Lu Blue, Goose Goslin, and Babe Phelps-all solid players and interesting stories. Of particular interest is Goose Goslin, a great player who spent many of his glory years in Washington and should have been elected to the Hall of Fame much sooner than he was.  Goslin bounced around a fair bit, but appeared in five World Series, an extraordinary feat because he never played for the Yankees or Athletics.  Cort has told a thorough, sensitive, illuminating story of The Goose, a man who brought so much joy to Washington. Got to http://bioproj.sabr.org/  for the complete list. 7.  REPORT FROM BETHESDA:  Big Train Season Begins June 2 - by Bill Hickman The 2007 season schedule for the Bethesda Big Train has been announced.  The Big Train will play its first game at Povich Field on June 2 at 7:30 P.M. in an exhibition match against the Maryland Patriots. On Friday, June 8, the regular Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League season will open with the Big Train hosting the Maryland Orioles at Povich Field.  The league All-Star Game will be at Povich Field on Sunday, July 22, at 7:30.  Big Train's final regular season game will take place in Rockville at Knight's Field on July 28.  For a complete listing of the schedule, visit http://www.bigtrain.org/published/2006/schedule_2007.html . As usual, we're expecting a roster full of top-notch college ballplayers representing the Big Train this year.  We're working on game entertainment and themes, including the celebration of 100 years since Walter Johnson made his big league debut and 60 years since Jackie Robinson played his first major league game. Look for the game night entertainment to be announced on the Big Train website this spring.