[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S10783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO WALTER JOHNSON

 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a great 
American who spent a little time in my home State of Idaho.
  Today marks the 100th anniversary of Hall of Fame pitcher Walter 
Johnson's Major League debut for the Washington Senators. On this day--
August 2--in 1907, Walter ``Big Train'' Johnson took the field as the 
starting pitcher for the first time in what would be a 21-year career.
  Interestingly enough, I actually have quite a bit in common with 
Walter Johnson. We both grew up in small towns; we share a connection 
to Washington County, ID. Johnson played semiprofessional ball in 
Weiser; I am a Republican, as was Johnson; and both of us are, or were, 
Senators--Johnson played for the Washington Senators.
  Let me explain a little bit about our shared connection to Washington 
County. Walter Johnson was discovered while playing semiprofessional 
baseball in the Idaho State League. He played for the team in Weiser, 
ID; I could almost toss a baseball to Weiser from my hometown of 
Midvale. Johnson spent 2 years playing in Weiser from 1905 to 1907.
  The Washington Senators tried to sign Johnson in 1906, but having 
grown up in small towns in Kansas and California, Johnson preferred the 
small-town life and was unsure about moving to Washington, DC.
  The following year, the Senators sent their catcher, Cliff 
Blankenship, to scout Johnson and try to sign him. Blankenship was told 
to try to get a hit off of Johnson.
  Blankenship tried but was unsuccessful. He sent a telegram to his 
manager back in Washington, saying, ``You can't hit what you can't see. 
I've signed him and he is on his way.''
  For most of his career, Walter Johnson's pitches were considered to 
be practically un-hittable. Because the radar gun had not yet been 
invented, nobody knows for sure just how hard he could throw a 
baseball. But most experts estimate that he could top 100 miles per 
hour with ease.
  His stature was equally intimidating. Johnson stood 6-foot-1 and 
weighed in at 200 pounds, earning him the nickname ``The Big Train.''
  Hall of Famer Ty Cobb was arguably the best hitter ever to play the 
game. Cobb faced Walter Johnson in Johnson's debut game on August 2, 
1907. Although Johnson and the Senators lost, 3 to 2, Cobb gave Johnson 
high praise, saying, ``The first time I faced him, I watched him take 
that easy windup, and then something went past me that made me flinch. 
I hardly saw the pitch, but I heard it. The thing just hissed with 
danger. Every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned 
loose in a ballpark.''
  Despite playing for teams that were routinely awful, Johnson won 417 
games in his career, second only to Cy Young, who won 511.
  Johnson won 32 games in one season; compare that to today, where 
winning 20 games is considered a major accomplishment.
  The Big Train also holds a record that will likely never be broken: 
In 1916, he pitched 369.2 innings without allowing a single home run.
  Let me put this in perspective. Simply pitching that many innings in 
a season today would be a remarkable feat. Most pitchers never come 
close to 300 innings per season. It is truly phenomenal that Johnson 
was physically able to pitch that many innings and totally unthinkable 
that he could do it without allowing a single homerun. My colleague, 
the Senator from Kentucky, who is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame 
himself, could tell you what an extraordinary accomplishment this is.
  Many credit Johnson with carrying the Washington Senators to their 
first and only World Series title in 1924. They defeated the New York 
Giants, four games to three.
  It was truly a different era in America. Senators fans were so 
ecstatic that Johnson had carried them to the World Series that before 
the first game, they presented him with a Lincoln Town Car as an 
expression of their gratitude. At the time, it was the most expensive 
car made in America and cost $8,000. That wouldn't happen today.
  In time, Johnson grew to love Washington, DC and even got involved in 
local politics after he retired from baseball, winning a seat as a 
county commissioner in Montgomery County, MD.
  He frequently held rallies and political events at his home, and 
ran--unsuccessfully--for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  Although Walter Johnson only spent a short time in Idaho--just over 
two seasons-we claim him as one of our own. We feel proud to have 
played an important role in launching the career of ``The Big Train,'' 
and I am honored today to mark the 100th anniversary of his Major 
League debut.

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