KESWICK, Va., Dec. 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Washington baseball fans have a whole new reason to kick up their heels because of the recent announcement that major league baseball will return to Washington for the 2005 season. Author C. Norman Willis' timely new book, Washington Senators' All-time Greats, comes out with a comprehensive record of the all-time greatest baseball players in Washington Senators' history. It is a pioneering book covering the 101-year history of the legendary baseball team.
Willis, a huge Senators' fan, interviewed a number of the players who were among the hundreds of players who appeared in a Washington uniform over the years. From all of these, he selected an all-time team, as well as all-star teams from five eras. Career highlights and statistics are included in each of the sixty-seven mini-biographies; photographs and anecdotes bring the players to life. Willis also presents team records and summaries for each year and era, and for the entire history of the Senators.
The book contains a foreword by Senator's great, Frank Howard, and is recommended by former Washington stars and managers, Mickey Vernon and Jim Lemon. It features hall-of-famers: Walter Johnson, Goose Goslin, Sam Rice, Bucky Harris, Joe Cronin, Rick Ferrell, Heinie Manush and Harmon Killebrew, as well as many other popular stars. It also encourages debate on the author's selections of all-time greats based on his analysis of players' records, much in the manner of the old "hot stove leagues" when "old timers" used to debate the merits of various players.
Washington Senators' All-time Greats, an authoritative work published after twenty years of exhaustive research, will generate enthusiasm among baseball fans everywhere. In these pages, relive the glory of a celebrated baseball team that has been part of American history and of our lives.
About the Author
A graduate of American University, C. Norman Willis was raised in Washington in the shadow of Griffith Stadium. He saw his first Senators game in 1932 and became an avid fan. He served in the Army during World War II and later with the National Security Agency, retiring after thirty-eight years. In 1995, he was honored as one of the "early heroes of Venona" for his work which led to the identification, arrest, and conviction of Soviet spies, including Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Mr. Willis has been married to his wife Frances for fifty-nine years. They now reside at 725 Black Cat Road, P.O. Box 28, Keswick, VA 22947-0028. Their phone numbers are: 434 295-7055 and Cell 804 641-5102. They have three sons and ten grandchildren.
Washington Senators' All-time Greats * By C. Norman Willis
Publication Date: January 12, 2004
Trade Paperback; $22.99; 395 pages; 1-4010-9618-2 * Cloth
Hardback; $32.99; 395 pages; 1-4010-9619-0
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