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National Pastime: Sports, Politics, and the Return of Baseball to Washington, D.C.
A riveting chronicle of the extraordinary debut year of the Washington Nationals—the team that brought America’s pastime back to the nation’s capital for the first time in over three decades…and quickly emerged as the team to watch in the 2005 season.
It all started in a freezing double-wide trailer parked outside RFK stadium—but this was no off-season tailgate. This was the official front office of Major League Baseball’s newest team. Crammed into the spartan space, Tony Tavares, the Washington Nationals’ newly appointed president, began the monumental task of fashioning a big league team that would, just six months down the road, usher baseball back to the nation’s capital.
Barry Svrluga, sports reporter for the Washington Post, has followed the saga of the Nationals from the early, intense political wrangling over bringing the team to Washington, to the defining triumphant moments -- and anguish -- of their first-ever season. A savvy observer of both Washington and Major League politicking, Svrluga covers the conflicts that undermined the existence of a D.C. team since the early 1970s (including the bitter opposition of powerbrokers inside the baseball establishment itself), and ended with the migration of the Montreal Expos to D.C.
Granted exclusive access to the players, the clubhouse, and the innermost workings of the team, Svrluga covers the surprise sensation of the 2005 season – which not only saw the Nationals gain a foothold on the Washington sports scene, but dominate the NL East through much of the season. From the outspoken legendary manager, Frank Robinson, to the inside stories of Jose Guillen, Livan Hernandez, and Brad Wilkerson, Svrluga brings the personalities of the team to life, interviews the most dedicated fans who’ve waited since the days of the Washington Senators for baseball to be restored in their city, and chronicles the team’s emotional ups and downs throughout the season.
A fresh new voice in sports writing, Svrluga combines the enthusiasm, authority, and attention to detail that guarantees this to be the definitive book of the Washington Nationals’ first season.
The nation’s capital hadn’t had a spring like this in more than a generation. In less than a week, the Nationals’ players and coaches were headed north. They didn’t know what kind of stadium awaited. They didn’t know what the reception would be. They didn’t know the town, how to get around, where to live, what to do. Most of all, though, they didn’t know who would play where, who would hit in which spot. Frank Robinson stewed over it all. He was supposed to go to Washington, bringing back the city’s first team in a generation, with this situation?
—From National Pastime
It all started in a freezing double-wide trailer parked outside RFK stadium—but this was no off-season tailgate. This was the official front office of Major League Baseball’s newest team. Crammed into the spartan space, Tony Tavares, the Washington Nationals’ newly appointed president, began the monumental task of fashioning a big league team that would, just six months down the road, usher baseball back to the nation’s capital.
Barry Svrluga, sports reporter for the Washington Post, has followed the saga of the Nationals from the early, intense political wrangling over bringing the team to Washington, to the defining triumphant moments -- and anguish -- of their first-ever season. A savvy observer of both Washington and Major League politicking, Svrluga covers the conflicts that undermined the existence of a D.C. team since the early 1970s (including the bitter opposition of powerbrokers inside the baseball establishment itself), and ended with the migration of the Montreal Expos to D.C.
Granted exclusive access to the players, the clubhouse, and the innermost workings of the team, Svrluga covers the surprise sensation of the 2005 season – which not only saw the Nationals gain a foothold on the Washington sports scene, but dominate the NL East through much of the season. From the outspoken legendary manager, Frank Robinson, to the inside stories of Jose Guillen, Livan Hernandez, and Brad Wilkerson, Svrluga brings the personalities of the team to life, interviews the most dedicated fans who’ve waited since the days of the Washington Senators for baseball to be restored in their city, and chronicles the team’s emotional ups and downs throughout the season.
A fresh new voice in sports writing, Svrluga combines the enthusiasm, authority, and attention to detail that guarantees this to be the definitive book of the Washington Nationals’ first season.
The nation’s capital hadn’t had a spring like this in more than a generation. In less than a week, the Nationals’ players and coaches were headed north. They didn’t know what kind of stadium awaited. They didn’t know what the reception would be. They didn’t know the town, how to get around, where to live, what to do. Most of all, though, they didn’t know who would play where, who would hit in which spot. Frank Robinson stewed over it all. He was supposed to go to Washington, bringing back the city’s first team in a generation, with this situation?
—From National Pastime
- GenresBaseballSportsNonfiction
241 pages, Hardcover
First published March 28, 2006
55 people want to read
About the author
Barry Svrluga
2 books1 followerEducation: Duke University, BA in history
Barry Svrluga came to The Washington Post in 2003 after working at newspapers in Corning, N.Y.; Portland, Maine; and Raleigh, N.C. At those stops, he covered topics including NASCAR, high school lacrosse and the Final Four. At The Post, he has covered college basketball and football, the Washington Nationals, and the Redskins. He is a regular member of The Post's Olympics team, dating to the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, and he became a columnist for the Sports section in 2016.
Barry Svrluga came to The Washington Post in 2003 after working at newspapers in Corning, N.Y.; Portland, Maine; and Raleigh, N.C. At those stops, he covered topics including NASCAR, high school lacrosse and the Final Four. At The Post, he has covered college basketball and football, the Washington Nationals, and the Redskins. He is a regular member of The Post's Olympics team, dating to the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, and he became a columnist for the Sports section in 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 25, 2007
While this book probably won't appeal to those who are not Nationals fans, any Washingtonian who loves baseball will enjoy this account of the difficult and bizarre course that baseball took out of and then back into the nation's capital. [auther: Barry Svrluga] does an excellent job of profiling the Nationals and the local politicians involved in their return. This book is for all those who spent hours watching DC city council meetings in early 2005, and for everyone who was lucky enough to witness the Nationals' magical first season that saw a bunch of guys nobody wanted contending for a playoff spot.
January 24, 2008
Although I'm a New York transplant (and Yankee fan) living in the DC area, I was excited by the return of baseball to the city and the establishment of the Washington Nationals. This is a great account of the team's exciting first season and the people who played important roles in getting the team here and competing on the field.
March 3, 2008
The first part detailing the political wrangling in Washington DC and in Major League Baseball is fascinating. The rest of the book is a narrative on the first season of the Nationals. The writing style is choppy. Sometimes I had to read a sentence more than once to get it.
August 21, 2008
Lots of DC political intrigue entwined with a decent history of the Nationals first season. The author does a little trick (in my view to fill pages) by including bios of various players.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews