Patrick Reusse: Some longtime Senators fans can forgive ...

Washington joined the American League as an original member in 1901. For most of the next six decades, the official nickname was the Nationals, although the popular name with this country's baseball fans was the Senators.

"As kids in Washington, we always called them 'the Nats,' " Bob Reznek said. "So did the headline writers with the Washington newspapers. 'Nats Lose.' I think they kept that headline set in type and used it every day."

Paul Bergeron laughed, and then confirmed the accuracy of Reznek's comment.

"We knew the Nats were going to lose, but they were our team and we stuck with them," Bergeron said. "The only real disappointment came when you allowed yourself to become optimistic."

Bergeron recalled being overcome with that malady at the start of the 1948 season. "We won some games on the road and everyone was excited," he said. "The second baseman was Al Kozar, and I remember Arch McDonald, our play-by-play announcer, saying on the radio, 'The Nats will go far with Al Kozar.'

"I was 9 and convinced we were going to the World Series. Then, the Nats came home and lost nine in a row or something like that. I was heartbroken. I think I cried."

That season of Bergeron's youthful naivete would end at 56-97, in seventh place and 40 games removed from pennant-winning Cleveland -- in other words, an average season for the Nats.

All these years later, the losses do not ruin the Griffith Stadium memories for Bergeron, 69, and Reznek, 67.

"We had a pitcher in the early '50s named Connie Marrero, a Cuban righthander," Reznek said. "He pitched with a stub of a cigar in his mouth. And then he would light it when he got back to the dugout."

Bergeron nodded and said: "Mickey Vernon won the batting title for us in 1953. There was a huge wall in right field at Griffith Stadium, and it was only 297 feet down the line. Vernon was a lefty and he peppered that wall with fly-ball doubles."

The Senators had one winning season -- 78-76 in 1952 -- during the post-World War II years that Bergeron and Reznek were gaining their passion for the team.

The team's patriarch, Clark Griffith, died in 1955, and his nephew, Calvin, took over as team president.

"You could sense something bad was going to happen in 1960," Bergeron said. "Washington was building a new stadium, but there were no good words coming from Calvin."

On Oct. 26, 1960, the American League announced that Griffith was moving his team to Minnesota and that an expansion team -- also called the Senators -- would start playing in the new D.C. Stadium in 1961.

"I directed all my anger at Calvin Griffith," Bergeron said. "And my resentment grew when they came here and started winning. I still don't like the Twins. I never will."

Reznek smiled. Try as he might to dislike Griffith and the Twins, he couldn't change his loyalty.

"Bob Allison had come to Washington and was a great young player," Reznek said. "He became my favorite. Having Allison on the team made me a Twins fan, and that's never changed.

"I've always been hooked. We live in Scottsdale [Ariz.] now, and I watch every Twins game there on the baseball package."

Bergeron shook his head, in resignation more than in disgust.

"It was bad enough that Griffith took our team to Minnesota, but then your state gave us Bob Short," he said. "When Short bought the new Senators, I knew it was just a matter of time before he would be taking off [for Texas in 1972].

"I'll never forget Short's promotion to celebrate the 100th anniversary of baseball in Washington. There was going to be a memento for all fans attending this specific game.

"I went. It was a plastic pin that looked like it came out of a Cracker Jack box. It had '100' printed on it. Nothing else. Just '100.' Even Calvin Griffith wouldn't have been that chintzy."

The two long-ago Senators fans are having a reunion -- along with their wives -- this weekend with the Washington Nationals making a visit to the Metrodome for the first time.

Bergeron has adopted the Nationals since their arrival from Montreal in 2005. And Reznek also aims good wishes at Washington's National League franchise.

"It's my hometown, so I want to see them do well," Reznek said. "And, it's the other league, so there's no reason for me to root against them ... except this weekend against the Twins."

Patrick Reusse can be heard weekdays on AM-1500 KSTP at 6:45 and 7:45 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. • preusse@startribune.com