Damn Senators : My Grandfather and the Story of Washington's Only World Series Championship

In Damn Senators, Mark Judge has written a book that is at once a touching memoir of his grandfather, star first baseman for the old Washington Senators; a history of baseball in its golden age; and an exciting account of the Senators' 1924 World Series victory. As one advance reader says, "This book is not only for the dedicated fan but for anyone interested in human endurance and courage and the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." For decades, the Senators were the doormat of the American League, a disappointment to the U.S. presidents and the ordinary folks who flocked to Griffith Stadium to watch Walter Johnson, arguably the best pitcher of all time, "Goose" Goslin, one of the most feared hitters in baseball and another future Hall of Famer, and other great players labor year after year in vain. Then, in 1924, everything unexpectedly came together. Team owner Clark Griffith made shrewd off-season deals for journeyman players who had their best years ahead. Johnson, thought by some sportswriters to have lost his powers, pulled off one more great season. Bucky Harris, the "Boy Manager," ran the team with a shrewdness that confounded those who considered him too young for the job. The author's grandfather, Joe Judge, the best fielding first baseman in the league and a lifetime .300 hitter, anchored the team. Damn Senators recounts how Washington beat Babe Ruth and the Yankees, perennial champions of the American League, and then triumphed over the heavily favored New York Giants in what sportswriters regard as one of the most thrilling World Series in baseball history. Into this drama the author interweaves the story of Judge, son of an Irish immigrant who became a celebrity not only for his steady play (he would eventually be inducted into RFK Stadium's Ring of Stars) but also for what came later. After his retirement, Judge was befriended by writer Douglass Wallop, who made him the prototype for Joe Hardy, the lead character in his novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, later fabulously successful as a stage play and a movie under the title Damn Yankees. Recalling The Boys of Summer and other classics, Damn Senators is filled with unforgettable portraits of baseball legends like the wily Clark Griffith; the noble "Big Train," Walter Johnson; Ty Cobb, the meanest player of the day; Al Schacht, "The Clown Prince of Baseball," whose comedy act played between innings; the Giants' "Little Napoleon," John McGraw; and of course, the larger-than-life Babe Ruth. Mark Judge returns us to a golden past. But with a new baseball franchise rumored to be on its way to the nation's capital, he may be taking us back to the future as well. Mark Judge has written a book that is at once a touching memoir of his grandfather, star first baseman for the old Washington Senators; a history of baseball in its golden age; and an exciting account of the Senators’ 1924 World Series victory. For years, the Washington Senators were the doormat of the American League, but in 1924 everything came together. Mark Judge offers unforgettable portraits of legends such as Ty Cobb, Walter (“Big Train”) Johnson, Babe Ruth, “Goose” Goslin, Al Schacht and John McGraw. With a new baseball franchise rumored to be coming to the nation’s capital, Damn Senators may be taking us back to the future. Annotation For years, the Washington Senators were the doormat of the American League, a disappointment to the presidents and ordinary people who flocked to Griffith Stadium. But in 1924 everything came together under the leadership of team owner Clark Griffith. Mark Judge has written an exciting account of the Senators' 1924 World Series victory, and at the same time a touching memoir of his grandfather, star first baseman for the Senators, and a history of baseball in its golden age Baseball had been a feature of Washington's civic life for more than fifty years before my grandfather arrived on the scene to play for the Senators.