This has been a tough homestand. The Nats took another loss last night as their ace battled a sinus infection and a tough Marlin lineup.
A friend sent me the following, which gives you a sense of the baseball history Washington enjoys and a break from those feeling down.
?the blurb for today's lefty calendar entry says.?
1946: fidel castro, voted his country's best all-around school athlete, ?from the university of havana, tries out for a place on the Washington Senators baseball team. the 20 year old left-handed baseball pitcher is ?turned down, leaving him free to follow another career path.
I have heard the Castro story many times and one version has him trying out with the Yankees. It is a great story but just not true, just an urban legend. Fidel never tried out for a professional team and was not a good athlete. But there are some stories about the Nats that bear repeating.
Bert Shepard was flying P-39s out of England in 1944. The P-39 was a fighter but it was really only good for attacking ground targets being a 1940s version of the A-10. He took flack over Nazi Occupied Europe and was shot down and captured, losing his foot and part of his leg. The Germans deciding that he was of little value to the Allies sent him back to the US along with other severally wounded soldiers.
He spent time in Walter Reed and got an artificial limb to go with his Airmen's Cross.
Shepard had been a good minor league pitcher before the war and in 1945 after being released from the service became the batting practice pitcher for the Nats. He pitched well in an exhibition game against the Dodgers, so well that he was signed to a contract by the Nats. Now in 1945 the Nats were in the midst of a pennant race against the Tigers they were not the pushovers of other years. Defying all odds Shepard got the call and pitched in the major leagues. You can look him up.
He became a hero to the many especially disabled vets
Then there is the story of Joseph Cassidy.
A graduate of Villanova, the slick fielding Cassidy broke in with the Nats in 1904 at the age of 21 A shortstop he helped turn a triple play in his short career, a rare feat in baseball. In 1904 he batted .265, which was good back in the dead ball era, but his 19 triples really showed his promise. He was one of the first ballplayers to play in the majors with no professional baseball experience. Sadly he would be dead a little over a year later from malaria. In his honor the Nats wore black armbands for home games and white on the road. He was the second Nat so honored; the first one is another story still.
Ed Delahanty was the first Nat to have his teammates wear armbands.
He was a great player; making his mark with the Phillies in the 1890?s being selected to the HOF in 1945. He signed with Washington in 1902 at the age of 34. Sadly in July 1903, he fell into the Niagara River and his body was found downriver many days later.
At least that is one story.
Delahanty took the train from Chicago by way of Detroit to New York. Delahanty was separated from his wife at the time and some stories had him leaving the team to visit her. Other stories had him leaving the Nats to jump to the Giants. Delahanty was known for his gambling, drinking and money problems.
After having too many drinks and a reported altercation with a passenger he was ordered off the train.
The night watchman on the International Bridge came across an individual leaning against the bridge. When the person became quarrelsome, the watchman said he tried to control him. The individual ran and feel into the water, the individual was later identified as Ed Delahanty.
Was it foul play or a tragic misstep?
Delahanty was a big star and some thought it strange that the watchman did not recognize him and the watchman also waited till the next morning to report the incident. The body was in horrible shape but some clothing remained but some expensive jewelry disappeared. Even parts of the watchman?s story changed. Given the age and size of the watchman some doubted the truth of his story. We will never know.
