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At Last, Bound for Glory
Walter Johnson's grandson believes that this is the first photo taken of Walter Johnson in a Senators uniform.
(Courtesy of Henry Thomas )
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"I love it," she said. "I'll tell you, I say of the Washington Nationals: The Nationals, they're better than they look. They are. They are. They're a fine team. They're going to be in the playoffs within the next few years."
For the girl who "grew up at Griffith Stadium," those are weighty words. Yet tomorrow, she will travel across town to RFK Stadium for the first time since the Nationals arrived here in 2005. She doesn't like publicity, she said, and doesn't particularly enjoy being out at night. Plus, that leaves Bonnie, her dog, home alone.
The Nationals, though, are hosting Walter Johnson Day. Hank Thomas, now living in Arlington and the owner of a sports memorabilia business, will travel back from a major show in Cleveland to throw out the first pitch. The Nationals will wear replica Senators hats from 1927, Johnson's last season. There will be video highlights, a pregame ceremony.
Perhaps some of the memories will flood back to Walter Johnson's daughter, just being at the ballpark. She has a brother, Eddie, who lives on a farm in Montgomery County. She has a small den in her home that Hank has decorated with all sorts of Johnson photos.
And now, she has the Nationals, baseball back in her home town. The club will open a new ballpark next year, and there are plans for three statues outside -- one for Josh Gibson, the great Negro leagues catcher; one for Frank Howard, the "Capital Punisher" of the expansion Senators; and one for Walter Johnson.
"Dad was just 'Dad,' " Carolyn Thomas said. "I think he was a good role model, and I think in this steroid age with asterisks and one thing or another, it's good to remember the nice guys."
Tomorrow, 100 years after he threw his first pitch here, Washington will finally remember a nice guy, one who might have been forgotten in his adopted home town had baseball not returned.
Staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.
