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National Pastime: Sports, Politics, and the Return of Baseball to Washington, D.C. | 
 enlarge | Author: Barry Svrluga
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $10.20
You Save: $12.75 (56%)
New (8) Used (9) Collectible (1) from $6.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 665250
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1
ISBN: 0385517858
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3576409753
EAN: 9780385517850
ASIN: 0385517858
Publication Date: March 28, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: NEW. Brand new book perfect inside and out. In a nice dj as well. NO remainder markings. Purchase and help a youth pastor with three daughters.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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
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| Customer Reviews:
Excellent review of the Nationals coming to Washington January 4, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For a Washington baseball fan like me, this book is a must-have, for those who want to read a very good account of the events in the return of baseball to the Nation's Capital, this book is the best that I have seen about it.
I am a longtime fan of Washington baseball, loving the Washington Senators in the 1960's, and have been studying the history of baseball in D. C. for years. I attended the 2005 Opening Night game that I had looked forward to for 33 years, and also many other games since then. Barry Svrluga gives a very interesting inside account of the July 5 game when Jose Guillen threw the ball over the catcher's head and all the way to the backstop, I had wondered what on earth was going on that night, I saw that happen in person. The accounts were interesting, and told a story that is not obvious to the average baseball fan who does not know what goes on behind-the-scene.
A very good book, I highly recommend it!
A "must" for your baseball library September 3, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Many of us non-native Washingtonians see the Nationals as simply an overdue return of baseball to the DC area. But few of us are really privy to an inside behind the scenes view of the agony and ecstasy experienced by the die hard fans and baseball professionals who lived through this experience. If you thought baseball was just a game you won't after reading this compelling tale of just how DC came to have a new baseball team. If you want to understand more than just the current standings or statistics of your favority team and really want to know how the business of baseball is "played" grab a copy of this one. You'll find it an easy and thoroughly enjoyable read.
Here's to you, Mr. Robinson April 3, 2006
7 out of 13 found this review helpful
Attention baseball fans who are looking for the best reads in 2006...
The two outstanding baseball books this season are "National Pastime" and "Black and Blue." Why?? Frank Robinson is why. Robby is the "Man for All Seasons", as told in these incredible two extraordinary straight-forward non-fiction books re-capping the 1966 Baltimore Orioles and the 2005 Washington Nationals seasons. These efforts are sports writing at its finest by two of the trade's brightest and most promising upcoming reporters. I urge baseball fans to seek out and relish Frank Robinson --this 70 year-old legend and icon who epitomizes what is great about the National Pastime. "God bless you please, Mr. Robinson, heaven holds a place for those who pray. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you." Good luck, Skip, in 2006!!!!
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