Hats off to Roy Sievers, still going at 85, one of the last of the St Louis Browns, and a hero in Washington. See:
http://www.baseballtoddsdugout.com/roysievers.htmlA must-read. Too many great passages to pull out just a few, and the pictures are a thrill.
"Seven times he was ranked in the American League’s top 10 for RBI and extra base hits. Six times Sievers was ranked in the top 10 for home runs and slugging percentage. On four occasions, he ranked in the top 10 for runs scored and intentional walks. He even ranked in the top 10 for batting average in three seasons.
"Forty years after his last game in the majors, Sievers helped usher in a new era for baseball in the D.C. area. In 2005, the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals. On Opening Day, Sievers returned to Washington for the festivities. He thinks baseball will work this time around in the nation’s capital.
“'I’m glad Washington got it back because they deserve it,” said Sievers, who had 27 multi-homer games in his career. “'If they can get an owner that’s got some money and influence, they might have a pretty good ball club. But, they have to have an owner that’s willing to spend the money and they haven’t got that owner yet. [I think the Lerners fit Roy's requirement]
“'They’re supposed to build a new ballpark. When I was up there for Opening Day, it was just a super atmosphere. They drew 30,000 to 35,000 people every night last year. It was a great thing for Washington and I just hope they stay there.'”
If these Nats clinch the division, I think the team should bring back some of the remaining players and announcers. Sievers, Hondo, Eddie Yost, Camilo Pascual, Ken McMullen, Bon French, Bob Wolff, Ron Menchine (announced the last game with, I think, Johnny Holliday). Have Charlie Brotman announce the lineups.
