Shelby Whitfield was the radio voice of the Washington Senators for the 1969 and 1970 seasons, working with Ron Menchine on WWDC Radio. Whitfield was replaced by Tony Roberts in 1971, but stayed in town and hosted a sports talk show on WWDC.
In 1973, Shelby’s book, “Kiss It Goodbye,” was published. It purported to tell the inside story of the last three years of Senators’ baseball and how owner Bob Short maneuvered them out of town. I read the book then, but never read it again until this week, when a caller to my radio show claimed the book revealed a dirty little secret on page 204.
Whitfield writes: “It was common knowledge on the club that the Senators had some of their pitchers on the controversial anabolic steroid drugs in an effort to beef them up … The Senators’ program was properly administered under the expert advice and care of Dr. George Resta, the Senators’ club doctor and an expert in the field.”
The passage is essentially buried and lacks salacious details. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty powerful charge, especially considering we’re talking about something that allegedly occurred more than 35 years ago.
I couldn’t find Whitfield, who’s been more of a behind-the-scenes producer in his later years. The late Dr. Resta, who was also the Redskins team physician for many seasons, is no longer around to clarify anything.
I did, however, chat with Dick Bosman, the ace of the expansion Senators’ pitching staff and currently a minor league instructor for Tampa Bay. Bosman, who has never read Whitfield’s book, disputes the charge.
“The only shot I ever got from Dr. Resta was a cortisone shot,” Bosman said. While cortisone is a steroid, it’s not an anabolic steroid, which is the issue facing baseball today. Bosman said he’d remember if Resta ever injected him with anything else.
“Dr. Resta loved the players,” Bosman said. “He wouldn’t have used us as guinea pigs.”
Bosman takes issue with Whitfield’s assertion the staff needed “beefing up.”
“We weren’t that small to start with,” Bosman said, “and it’s not like our results were so great either.”
As Casey Stengel used to say, you can look it up.
Menchine, Whitfield’s broadcast partner for two seasons, also finds the “common knowledge” claim a little puzzling. “It’s nothing I heard of at the time,” Menchine said, “though Shelby spent a lot more time with (manager) Ted (Williams) than I did. I can’t imagine that Dr. Resta would have confided in Shelby.”
Menchine actually read the book when it came out, but didn’t recall that particular passage leaving any lasting impression.
Were the Washington Senators baseball’s steroid pioneers? I seriously doubt it. But, if it was happening here, wouldn’t every club have been doing it? And wouldn’t other players of that era have stepped forward about it?
I smell the smoke, but I don’t see a fire.
Phil Wood has covered sports in the Washington-Baltimore market for more than 30 years.
