Senators Saturday - Bernie Allen, 1967.

Have a brother getting married today so I am busy with that and you will have to settle for a pre-scheduled post. Of course, it's been a bit since the last Senators Saturday so maybe it's worked out for the best.

Be-freckled Bernie Allen appears on 1967 Topps card 118 in his Minnesota Twins pinstripes. He had played in the Twins organization since they signed him as an amateur in 1961. On December 3, 1966 the Twins sent Allen and pitcher Camilo Pascual to Washington in exchange for reliever Ron Kline.

Bernie jumped right into a competition with Bob Saverine for the starting second baseman's job. The two ended up platooning for most of the season but by the end of the year Allen appeared to have the upper hand.

Allen appeared in 87 games for the Senators in 1967. 75 of those appearances were at second base, the only position he played during the season. Over the course of 601.1 innings at second Bernie committed just four errors. That gave him a .990 fielding percentage, well above the league average .979 and completely blowing out Saverine's .957 fielding percentage.

Bernie made 279 trips to the plate for Washington. True to the Senator's luck with new players, his batting average dropped to .193 with his on-base percentage only getting up to .244. Indicative of the Senator's below-average offense, Allen scored just 13 runs and only picked up 18 RBI. He had a little power - five doubles, one triple, and three home runs; but also struck out more times than he walked (43/18).

1967 had been a mixed bag for Bernie Allen. His defense was outstanding but his bat appeared to have evaporated. With Washington being enamored of slick fielders and Bob Saverine struggling at the plate as well, Allen looked to have a pretty decent shot at second base in 1968. If he could get the lumber working again he might be able to nail down a starting gig for several years.

Senators Saturday - Jim King, 1966.

Got a wedding to attend today so your going to get a pre-scheduled Senators Saturday post featuring Jim King on card 369 of the 1966 Topps set.

1966 was King's sixth season with the Senators. Jim needed a better season than he got in 1965 to hold on to his position as the club's starting right fielder.

While still technically the starting right fielder for Washington, King was being challenged for playing time. He played in just 85 games in the field in 1966, all in right field. Over the course of the 670.2 innings he played on defense, Jim committed just two errors. That gave him a .987 fielding percentage, significantly higher than the league average .979. True to form, King's range was higher than average as well.

Jim made 350 trips to the plate over 117 games. He put up a .248 batting average and a .330 on-base percentage. The average was a nice increase over the previous season but the on-base percentage fell seven points. King scored 41 runs and accounted for 30 RBI. He walked 38 times and struck out 41 times. While he did suffer a power decline, there was still some pop in Jim's bat. He knocked 14 doubles, two triples and ten home runs over the course of the season.

1966 had been a mixed bag for Jim King. He maintained his great defense and gained some back with his bat. Of course, he also lost some power on the offensive side of the game and that was troubling. There were still challengers knocking at the right field door and it was looking like Jim's remaining time in Washington might be limited.

Senators Saturday - Dave Stenhouse, 1965.

By the time Dave Stenhouse appeared on card 304 of the 1965 Topps set, his Major League career was over. After injuries derailed his 1963 season, his 1964 campaign was not the bounce-back season it needed to be. The front office was not impressed.

The Senators sent Stenhouse to the minors to begin 1965. He spent the season bouncing between the double A York White Roses and the triple A Hawaii Islanders. Dave actually had a decent season with York and turned in a 1.50 ERA in two starts with Hawaii. That didn't earn him a return to the Bigs but did ensure he would start the 1966 season at triple A.

Stenhouse appeared in 36 games for the Islanders in 1966, only seven were starts. Apparently the Senators thought they needed some relief help and decided to try Dave in a reliever role. The role didn't seem to matter as Stenhouse struggled to a 5.28 ERA and 1.635 WHIP over 104 innings pitched. As you might suspect, he did not get the call back to Washington.

1967 was another season in Hawaii for Dave, but he would only appear in eight games for the Islanders. All of Stenhouse's appearances were in relief and he tossed just 16 innings. He ended the season with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.312 WHIP.

I don't know if the Senators released Dave Stenhouse early in the 1967 season, if he decided it was time to go, or if he suffered another injury. Whatever the reason, his abbreviated 1967 season marked the end of Dave Stenhouse's pro career.

Senators Saturday - Ron Kline, 1965.

Well, Spiff Jr's Little League season winds on today. Since I have work and a ballgame to attend to, you'll have to settle for a pre-scheduled Senators Saturday.

Today Washington reliever Ron Kline appears on card 56 of the 1965 Topps set. 1965 was Kline's third season with the Senators and he had won himself a spot in the bullpen with his consistent performance in 1964.

Ron appeared in a team-leading 74 games for the Senators in 1965 and pitched a total of 99.1 innings. He struck out 52 opposing batters while walking 32. His ERA and WHIP edged up from the previous season to 2.63 and 1.289 respectively. While those numbers were slightly higher than in 1964, Kline still led the bullpen in ERA. Solidifying his role as the Washington closer and go-to guy, Ron notched a league-leading 29 saves and ended the year with a 7-6 record.

While Ron Kline's numbers slipped a little in 1965, the year was a success overall. Kline was the ace of the Senators bullpen and was good enough to received attention from outside the city. He was even given a few MVP votes. Clearly Ron had a spot in the pen for the foreseeable future, as long as he could continue to come in and shut down the opposing batters.

Senators Saturday - Jim King, 1965.

Well, another Little League game today so you'll have to make do with another pre-scheduled Senators Saturday post.

Jim King, shown here on card 38 of the 1965 Topps set, was entering his fifth season with the Senators. He was one of the few remaining players Washington got in the expansion draft. King suffered a bit of a power and defense dip in 1964 and was looking to rebound and keep his starting spot in right field.

Jim appeared in 120 games for the Senators in 1965, he played in the field in 88 of those games. All of his playing time in the field was in right field. Both the number of games he played in and the 589.1 innings he logged were significant drops from the previous season. Using his limited time to the fullest, King committed just one error all season for a .993 fielding percentage. That was well above the league average .978 fielding percentage. Jim also had much better range than the average American League right fielder.

King made 309 trips to the plate for the Senators in 1965, a drop of 169 plate appearances from the previous year. He saw his batting average drop 28 points to .213 while his on-base remained about the same at .337. Jim still had some power left in his bat though. He hit ten doubles, two triples, and 14 home runs. He walked 44 times while striking out 50 times. King bumped in 49 RBI while scoring 46 runs of his own.

While 1965 had been a decent season for Jim King, it had not been what he needed it to be. Facing challenges for playing time from several other players, he had not been able to put together the standout year at the plate he needed to keep from losing playing time. The drop in batting average was also significant and concerning. Jim would likely face more challengers for his job in 1966 and really needed his bat to return if he wanted to keep his spot in the Washington outfield.

Senators Saturday - Joe Cunningham, 1965.

With a little league game and work scheduled for today, I am putting up a pre-scheduled post. Once more it's back to the Senators on Saturday. Of course, with the way the Rangers are playing in the early going, there may be a lot more Senators Saturdays during the season.

Joe Cunningham appears on a creased version of card 496 of the 1965 Topps set today. Cunningham came to Washington in a mid-season trade during 1964. That trade also netted the Senators pitcher Frank Kreutzer and sent Carl Bouldin and Moose Skowron to the White Sox in return.

Joe appeared in 95 games for the Senators in 1965 but only played in the field in 59 of those games. Off-season acquisition Dick Nen got six more games at first base to become the most used Washington fielder at that position. Bob Chance and Roy Sievers also appeared at first as the competition for the job went on. For his part, Cunningham played 412.2 innings at first base and committed six errors. That gave him a .986 fielding percentage as compared to the league average .991.

In 249 trips to the plate Joe raised his batting average 15 points to .229 and his on-base percentage 31 points to .375. That he was a disciplined hitter is demonstrated by the 46 walks he took compared to the 27 times he struck out. Not a real power threat, Cunningham did improve some on his power numbers with nine doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He also scored 29 runs and accounted for 20 RBI.

1965 had been a better season for Joe Cunningham than 1964 was. Unfortunately for Joe, that probably wasn't going to be good enough. He was eight years older than rookie Nen and the Senators were hurting for offense. Cunningham just wasn't contributing enough at the plate to catch on. After spending most of his career being blocked by Stan Musial in St. Louis, Joe was looking at once again at the possibility of being shoved out of a chance at a starting gig.

Senators Saturday - Don Blasingame, 1965.

Coming off a decent 1964 season, Don Blasingame was looking to improve his offense and hold down the starting second base job in 1965. Blasingame, shown here on card 21 of the 1965 Topps set, had been a big improvement offensively at second for Washington but he needed to keep the bat going if he wanted to hang on to the job.

Once again appearing almost exclusively at second base, Don played in 110 games at second for Washington in 1965. He also pinch-hit a few times to bring his total number of games appeared in to 129. Over the course of 837.1 innings played in the field Blasingame committed eight errors. That left his fielding percentage at .984, seven points better than the league average .978.

Don made 449 trips to the plate for the Senators in 1965 and tallied a .233 batting average, 44 points below the previous season. He walked 35 times but also struck out 45 times as he watched his on-base percentage fall 33 points to .287. Blasingame still had some speed left in him as his eight doubles and eight triples attest. His power was fading though and he hit just one home run. He also scored 47 runs while accounting for 18 RBI.

1965 was a bad season for Don Blasingame. He managed to shore up his defense from the previous season but in the process lost a lot off his bat. At 33 years of age that was a bad sign. The Senators had seen this all glove, no hit before at second base and that's why they brought Blasingame in to start with. If Don wanted to hang on with Washington he needed to figure out a way to revive his bat. As it was, he would face at least two challengers for his job in 1966.

Senators Saturday - Senators Rookies, 1971.

Getting towards the end of my Senators collection. May have to put the Senators Saturdays on hold soon if I can't find more to post or add a few more to the collection. That's not a problem today though. Norm McRae and Denny Riddelberger are up today on card 93 of the 1971 Topps set. Let's take a look at how these "rookie stars" worked out for Washington.

Norm McRae came to Washington from the Tigers on October 9. 1970 as part of the ill-considered Denny McClain trade. McRae already had a little Major League experience, having had short stints with Detroit in 1969 and 1970. 1970 was the more impressive of the two: a 2.87 ERA over 31.1 innings of relief. Of course, his 1.628 WHIP and the fact that he walked 25 while striking out only 16 were areas of concern.

The Senators assigned Norm to Triple A Denver for the 1971 season and experimented with making him a starter. McCrae appeared in 34 games for the Bears and started 26 of them. All told he tossed 171 innings. He did manage to reverse the strikeout to walk issue - tallying 121 whiffs and issuing 82 free passes. Nothing about his 4.89 ERA, 1.667 WHIP or 6-13 record enticed the Senators to give him a try in Washington. In 1972 he would again be assigned to Denver, this time as a part of the Rangers farm system. That assignment wouldn't last long though. On May 30, 1972 the Rangers sent Norm back to Detroit in exchange for infielder Dalton Jones.

Denny Riddleberger came to the Senators in a August 31, 1970 trade that sent George Brunet and some cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Riddleberger had spent most of 1970 at Triple A but the Senators immediately brought him to Washington and he finished out the season with the club. In a limited sample (9.1 innings), Denny posted a tiny 0.96 ERA and 0.964 WHIP. That was enough to earn him a second look from the Senators. He would spend the entire 1971 season with Washington.

Riddleberger performed decently with Washington in 1971, appeared in 57 games in relief. Over 69.2 innings he put up a 3.23 ERA and a 1.421 WHIP. He walked 22 opposing batters but also struck out 34. Denny ended the season with a 3-1 record and one save. Riddleberger was showing some promise but the Senators wouldn't be around to develop it. The franchise was moving to Texas and Denny was moving as well. On December 2, 1971 the Rangers traded Riddleberger, Gary Jones, Terry Ley, and Del Unser to the Cleveland Indians for Ken Suarez, Roy Foster, Rich Hand, and Mike Paul.

Senators Saturday - Dick Such, 1971.

By the time Dick Such appeared on 1971 Topps card 283, his Major League playing career was over. The Senators drafted Such in the eighth round of the 1966 secondary draft. After some ups and downs in the minors, Dick made the 1970 Senators roster out of Spring Training. He made his Major League debut on April 6, 1970.

Serving both as a reliever and starter for the Senators, Such appeared in 21 games for Washington in 1970. Five of those appearances were starts. He pitched 50 innings and stumbled to a 7.56 ERA and 1.860 WHIP. The fact that his 45 walks outnumbered his 41 strikeouts didn't help. Dick's 1-5 record was probably an accurate reflection of his struggles. Following his appearance on July 17, 1970 the Senators sent him down to Triple A to finish out the season.

Although 1970 had been rough, even at Triple A, the Senators left Such with the Triple A Denver Bears for 1971. He appeared in 24 games for Denver, 11 of which were starts. Over the 78 innings he pitched he watched his ERA balloon to 6.12 while his WHIP came to an unsightly 1.731. Dick did manage to strike out more batters than he walked, 48 compared to 33, but it was a poor silver lining. He ended the season with a 5-5 record and a ticket to Single A Burlington.

In 1972 Such turned in a decent season with the Burlington Rangers. That earned him a promotion to the Double A Pittsfield Rangers. There the wheels came off again as his ERA was over 7.70. That spelled the end of the line for Dick as a player. The 1973 season would be his last on the mound.

Following his playing career, Dick Such moved into coaching. He made it back to the Majors as a member of the Rangers coaching staff from 1983-1985. After that it was 17 years with the Twins. Two of those teams made it to the World Series. More recently Dick has been passing on his knowledge to young players as a pitching coach in the minor leagues.

Senators Saturday - Ed Stroud, 1971.

Ed Stroud appears on card 217 of the 1971 Topps set looking as if he is shopping for a bat. Looks like this photo was probably taken during Spring Training. This would be Stroud's last card in a Senators uniform.

Coming off a rather mixed 1970 season, Ed Stroud appeared to be beginning a defensive decline. The Senators decided to move him. On March 29, 1971 the club traded him back to the White Sox, where Ed began his Major League career. In return Washington received Tom McCraw.

As for Ed, he would split the 1971 season between Chicago and Triple A Tucson. He batted under the Mendoza Line with the White Sox and over .300 with Tucson. At the end of the season he called it a career and hung up the spikes as a player.

Senators Saturday - Jim Shellenback, 1971.

Jim Shellenback looks like he is a bit unsure of the situation as he appears on 1971 Topps card 351. Of course, all of the Senators players were likely a little unsure of the situation during that final year in Washington as the winds of change began to build during the season.

Coming off a mediocre 1970 season, Shellenback was looking to either solidify his place in the Senators bull pen or break into the starting rotation. Unfortunately, he was unable to do either and continued in his role as long reliever/spot starter. He did manage to stay in the Majors all season though.

In the 40 games Jim appeared in for Washington in 1971 he pitched 120 innings. Those numbers were only a smidgen higher than the previous season. Shellenback managed to lower his ERA to 3.53 but his WHIP crept up to 1.433. The higher WHIP was probably partially due to his continued control struggles, Jim walked 49 opposing batsmen while striking out just 47. Surprisingly, he did toss a complete game shutout. That was probably a good thing for him - it accounted for one third of his wins as he ended the season 3-11.

Jim Shellenback did not have the break through season he needed in 1971. It was beginning to look like the lefty would be a career journeyman. Now the only thing to see was if the move to Texas would help or hurt his efforts.

Senators Saturday - Richie Scheinblum, 1971.

I must admit, I have no idea what is going on on 1971 Topps card 326. Outfielder Richie Scheinblum appears hatless in his Indians uniform on the front of the card. That makes some sense, the last time Scheinblum appeared in the Majors before coming to Washington was in 1969 with Cleveland. The part that doesn't make sense is the fact that Topps does a decent job airbrushing a curly W onto Richie's cap for the photo on the back of the card. Why put the worst possible picture on the front of the card?

Scheinblum was one of those players who always appear to be on the cusp of something big. What he needed was a full season as a starter. That was something that never happened with Cleveland. In 1969 he almost caught on but ended the season in the minors. He would spend the entire 1970 season in the minors with the Wichita Aeros of the American Association. A .337 batting average there caught the eye of the offense starved Senators. They purchased Scheinblum's contract on October 23, 1970.

The Senators brought Scheinblum into the 1971 season with high hopes and he started the season with them. Richie played in just 27 games for Washington in the early part of the season and made only 58 trips to the plate. Not a cold weather hitter, he put up a dismal .143 batting average and .263 on-base percentage. He showed he had a batting eye by working eight walks and only striking out five times. He had no power though, hitting just three doubles and no other extra base hits.

Not known for his fielding, Scheinblum played seven games each in left and right field for Washington. He tallied 46 innings in each outfield position and was flawless in left. He did muff two plays in right to drop his fielding percentage there down to .846 as opposed to the league average of .980.

With the outfield crowded and the team struggling, the Senators front office and seen all they needed to of Richie Scheinblum. He was sent down to Triple A Denver for the remainder of the season. Once he was back in the minors, Richie found his bat. In 455 plate appearances over 106 games he hammered out a .388 batting average and a .490 on-base percentage. The thin mountain air also helped his power as he knocked 31 doubles, 10 triples, and 25 home runs for the Bears.

While impressive, Scheinblum's Triple A performance was not enough to get him back to Washington. It was enough to get him another ticket to the Majors though. On October 21, 1971 the Senators sold Richie's contract to the Kansas City Royals. In 1972 KC would give Scheinblum the only starting job he ever held in the Majors. He responded with a .300 batting average, a .383 on-base percentage, and a trip to the All-Star game. It was his one season of glory. The Royals rewarded him by trading him to the Cincinnati Reds during the off-season.

Senators Saturday - Horacio Pina, 1971.

Horacio Pina, seen here on card 497 of the 1971 Topps set, was entering his second season with the Washington Senators in 1971. He performed well in 1970 and Washington was looking for another solid year out of the young hurler.

A reliever, all 56 of Pina's appearances for the Senators in 1971 were out of the bullpen. He was mostly a one-inning guy, tossing only 57.2 innings on the season. He posted a 3.59 ERA (up 80 points from the previous season) and an 1.353 WHIP (down 70 points from the previous season). Horacio was not a power pitcher, as his 38 strikeouts and 31 walks demonstrate. A middle reliever, he notched just two saves and ended the season with a 1-1 record.

The Washington front office had to be a little confused by the dual nature of Pina's pitching stats. He was allowing fewer runners on base but was giving up more runs. It was hard to say exactly what that split meant. Horacio would make the move to Texas with the team but the powers that be would be keeping an eye on him in 1973.

Senators Saturday - Elliott Maddox, 1971.

Elliott Maddox, shown here on card 11 of the 1971 Topps set, was a new arrival in Washington in 1971. The reason Maddox is hatless in this photo is because he moved from the Tigers to the Senators on October 9, 1970 as part of the ill-considered Denny McLain trade. 1971 would be Maddox's second season in the Majors. He had been in action for just 109 games with the Tigers in 1970.

Even though the front of Elliott's card classifies him as an infielder, he was primarily an outfielder for Washington in 1971. Serving mostly as a backup, Maddox still saw a decent amount of playing time. He appeared in 84 games in center field and played 485.2 innings there. His two errors put his fielding percentage at .989, above the league average .983. He was flawless in 40 innings over 12 games in left field and 76 innings over 10 games in right field. To round out his time in the field, Elliott also played 54.1 innings at third base, scattered over 12 games. He made one error there and his .947 fielding percentage was nine points below the league average.

Maddox made 312 trips to the plate during the season and put together a .217 batting average and .344 on-base percentage. He showed flashes of speed, stealing ten bases, but was also still learning the game, getting caught four times. Elliott had less than average power, hitting just eight doubles, two triples, and one home run. He scored 38 runs while knocking in only 18 RBI.

It's hard to tell if the sophomore slump hit Elliott Maddox in 1971. He hadn't had a super season in 1970 with Detroit so 1971 hadn't been a huge drop off. Defensively he had done well and proved his versatility in the field. One thing was for sure, if he wanted to secure himself a spot with the new Texas Rangers in 1972, he needed to up the offensive game.

Senators Saturday - Darold Knowles, 1971.

Darold Knowles came to Spring Training in 1971 with the eyes of the Senators front office on him. While there he also got his photograph taken for card 261 of the 1971 Topps set.

The reason the front office was watching Darold closely was because of his confusing 1970 season. Knowles lowered his ERA that year but got hit harder than at any time since he came to Washington prior to the 1967 season.

Darold started off 1971 in the Senators bullpen. After 12 appearances and 15.1 innings he tallied a 3.52 ERA and an 1.500 WHIP. He picked up two saves and was carrying a 2-2 record. He walked six but also struck out 16.

Apparently the front office had seen what they needed to see from Knowles. Unlike the previous season, his numbers were consistent with each other. Both his ERA and WHIP were climbing. It was time to move him before he had no trade value.

On May 8, 1971 the Senators sent Darold and first baseman Mike Epstein to the Oakland A's in exchange for Frank Fernandez, Paul Lindblad, Don Mincher, and some cash. The trade worked out well for Knowles, he got back in the groove and ended up pitching in the American League Championship Series that fall and again in the World Series in 1973. He would return to Texas prior to 1977 and played one final season with the club before being sold to the Montreal Expos before the 1978 campaign.

Senators send-back.

So, the through the mail returns have been coming in recently. I had three waiting when I returned from FanFest last week. One of those was from former Senators hurler Matry Kutyna.

I sent Mr. Kutyna a single 1961 Topps card on January 13th and asked him to sign and return it. My first clue that something was not normal was the fact that my card arrived back home on the 23rd in a large manila envelope, not the small self addressed envelope I included with the request.

Not only did Marty sign and return my 1961 Topps card, he added a trove of goodies to the package and paid the return postage himself. Included in the envelope was this 8x10 summary of Kutyna's career, personalized and signed by Mr. Kutyna himself. Part of the account tells the story of how Marty caught a ball thrown out on opening day by President Kennedy in 1962. JFK signed the ball after Kutyna recovered it. An 8x10 photo of Kennedy signing the ball was included. Mr. Kutyna personalized and signed that photo as well. Next came a photo-copy of a 1961 newspaper article about Marty's efforts with the Senators that year, a print out of the Wikkipedia entry about Kutyna, a print out of his career stats, and an account of his first face-off with Ted Williams.

Three autographs and a great package of information and photos. Can't beat that. It was way more than I expected. Players will occasionally include a custom card or a small note. This was far beyond that. Thanks a lot Mr. Kutyna!

Senators Saturday - Tom Grieve, 1971.

Tom Grieve, shown here on card 167 of the 1971 Topps set, missed the franchise's last season in Washington. After taking a look at Grieve in 1970, the club decided to leave their 1966 1st round pick in the minors for more seasoning in 1971. He would not make it back to the Majors until 1972.

Grieve appeared in 93 games for the Triple A Denver Bears in 1971 and made 364 trips to the plate. He put up a .272 batting average and a .365 on-base percentage. Perhaps most eye-catching to the power-starved Senators was the fact that he hit 14 doubles, five triples, and 19 home runs. That came with an 81 strikeout price tag but sluggers always strike out a lot. What remained to be seen was how much of that power was the result of the thin Denver air and how much would translate to the Majors. Tom worked 37 walks as well. He scored 64 runs and bumped in 61 RBI.

Grieve played in the outfield in 85 of the games he played in for Denver. In the course of the season he committed three errors to end up with a .984 fielding percentage.

While Tom Grieve hadn't blown the doors off at Triple A, he had put up a good season. Good enough to warrant a return to the Bigs in 1972, this time as a Texas Ranger. Starting then, he would have to be good enough to win a full-time job in the Rangers outfield.

Senators Saturday - Jim French, 1971.

Jim French appears in a classic catching pose on the front of card 399 in the 1971 Topps set. He does not seem all that thrilled though. Perhaps he had reason.

French had been a backup each of the previous six seasons he played for the Senators. That assignment would continue in 1971 as he started the season as backup to first-string catcher Paul Casanova.

Jim appeared in 14 games for Washington, all at catcher. Over the 115.1 innings he caught, French committed just one error. With his limited playing time it was enough to drop his fielding percentage to .985. That wasn't too far off the league average .988. French was known for his ability to control the running game and that continued in 1971. He caught four of the eight runners who tried to steal on him and his 50% caught stealing rate was well above the league average 39%.

Jim's defense had never been a problem. His bat is what plagued him. That also continued in 1971. In 49 trips to the plate French posted a light .149 batting average and a dismal .271 on-base percentage. He hit just one extra base hit, a double. Jim walked and struck out seven time for an exact balance. He scored six runs while bumping in just four RBI. Even though he was not known as a good hitter, these numbers were distressingly low.

Casanova had the starting job locked down. Unfortunately for French, rookie Dick Billings was making a push to unseat Casanova. In the process he also unseated French. Following an 0-for-4 game on May 14, 1971, the Senators sent Jim down to Triple A Denver. He played just six games there and was lent to the Braves for 53 games at their Triple A affiliate before ending the season in the minors.

On September 27, 1971 the Washington Senators released Jim French. It marked the end of his playing career and made this card his last.

Senators Saturday - Curt Flood, 1971.

Today we have an interesting part of Washington Senators history, Curt Flood. He appears on card 535 of the 1971 Topps set. Flood had been a staple of the 1960's Saint Louis Cardinals World Series teams. He won seven consecutive Gold Gloves from 1963 to 1969, and was a All-Star in 1964, 1966, and 1968. His name was usually in the MVP mix.

On October 7, 1969 Curt Flood began to change baseball as we know it. The Cardinals traded Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies. Under the reserve clause, Flood should have reported to the Phillies. He refused to do so and filed suit in court to have the reserve clause invalidated. The case dragged on through the 1970 season as Flood sat it out and waited. On November 30, 1970, with the case still in the courts, the Phillies traded their absent outfielder to Washington.

Flood agreed to report to the Senators and appeared in 13 games for Washington. There were flashes, but the old Curt Flood was no longer there. In 40 plate appearances Curt managed a .200 batting average and a .300 on-base percentage. He walked five times and struck out just twice. There were no extra base hits and Flood scored just four runs while accounting for two RBI.

Washington put Curt in center field, where he played in his glory days for the Cardinals. In 71 innings spread over ten games, Flood committed one rare error to drop his fielding percentage to an unusual .941 - 41 points below the league average. His missed season also appeared to have lowered his range significantly.

The results for Curt Flood in 1971 were disappointing. Manager Ted Williams still had confidence in Flood, but he no longer had confidence in himself. He was still locked in a legal battle he would end up losing to Major League Baseball and the stress of that was taking its toll. In spite of the fact that the owners approved the 10/5 rule in 1970, Curt would never benefit from it. After his slow start to the 1971 season, Curt Flood retired from Major League Baseball.

Senators Saturday - Mike Epstein, 1971.

Happy new year folks. Hope 2015 ended well for you and 2016 is starting off on the right note. For Texas Rangers Cards it's going to start off with a look back to the final year of the Washington Senators.

First off, you gotta like the sideburns Mike Epstein is displaying on card 655 of the 1971 Topps set. Classic 70's look there. Mike had a bit of a downer season in 1970, following a great year in 1969. That got him on the front office radar as a player who might be trade material. However, Epstein still entered the season as the starting first baseman for Washington.

Mike ended up playing in 24 games for the Senators in 1971, all at first base. He continued his good defense there with just two errors in 208 innings for a .992 fielding percentage. That was exactly the league average.

In those 24 games, Epstein made 101 trips to the plate and posted a .247 batting average. That, and his .366 on-base percentage, were slightly lower than the previous season. He walked 12 times and struck out 31 times. The power was slow coming that spring as he had just one double, one triple, and one home run.

The cash strapped Senators were always on the lookout for a deal that involved money coming in. Oakland was willing to work with them. On May 8, 1971 Washington set Epstein and reliever Darold Knowles to the A's in exchange for Frank Fernandez, Paul Lindblad, Don Mincher, and cash. The trade turned out great for Epstein. He got to the post-season later that year and again in 1972 when he won a ring with the A's. In November of 1972 Oakland traded Epstein to Texas straight up for Horacio Pina. That stint with the franchise would not last as long as the first. On May 20, 1973 the Rangers sent Mike back to California, along with Rich Hand and Rick Stelmaszek. This time the trade was to the Angels, who sent Lloyd Allen and Jim Spencer back in return.