Fred Frommer

@ffrommer

Writer @washingtonpost and other natl pubs. Sports & politics historian. Author of book on Nats history. Alum @AP @CNN. Also follow me @ffrommer.bsky.social

Washington, D.C.

Joined April 2009

2KFollowing

2KFollowers

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Dec 8

50 years ago, Howard Cosell interviewed John Lennon on #MondayNightFootball - then made a longshot bid to have the Beatle reunite on Cosell's short-lived TV variety show. My story today ... @dcsportsbog @coachbuckethead @rickklein @JeremySchaap wapo.st/3ZtYolI

ffrommer's tweet card. Before they were forever linked by tragedy, John Lennon and Howard Cosell shared a football broadcast.

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · May 8

Knicks-Celtics is like Yankees-Red Sox in reverse ... My @GlobeOpinion piece this morning. Are the Knicks poised to finally flip the script? @LenElmore @rickklein @NBA_NewYork @coachbuckethead bostonglobe.com/2025/05/08/opi… via @BostonGlobe

ffrommer's tweet card. The Knicks have a lot in common with the pre-2004 Red Sox, haunted by the same foe over and over.

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · 7 h

What a huge loss to the paper. I loved working with Dan on my sports history stories - he invariably made them significantly better with a deft editor’s touch.

DDan Steinberg@dcsportsbog · Jul 22

Well. Tomorrow is my last day at The Washington Post. It’s been a total thrill.

Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Jul 16

Some quick #AllStarGame history: My story on the only time two Black pitchers went head-to-head in an All-Star Game, when Dock Ellis faced off against Vida Blue, in 1971. The AL won 6-4, breaking an eight-game losing streak @rickklein @JeremySchaap contrarian.substack.com/p/the-mlb-all-…

ffrommer's tweet image. Some quick #AllStarGame history: My story on the only time two Black pitchers went head-to-head in an All-Star Game, when Dock Ellis faced off against Vida Blue, in 1971. The AL won 6-4, breaking an eight-game losing streak @rickklein @JeremySchaap
contrarian.substack.com/p/the-mlb-all-…

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Jun 20

My latest for The Contrarian, about the NBA's Black deputy commissioner, Simon Gourdine, who was the favorite to land the top job in 1975, but was passed over in favor Larry O'Brien. contrarian.substack.com/p/50-years-ago…

Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Jun 4

Great reconnecting with @alfranken for this story! @NadineEpsteinDC @lmarkoe @EricSchultz

MMoment Magazine@MomentMagazine · Jun 3

In 1988, future Senator Al Franken played a family game on SNL, writing a skit called “Jew, Not a Jew,” where gentile contestants guessed if their favorite stars were part of the tribe. But would the sketch, which caused tension with censors at the time, fly in today’s more…

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Jun 2

I wrote this @PostSports story in 2023 when the Knicks’ championship drought hit a half-century. Sadly it is now 52 years… @NBA_NewYork @jaconi The Knicks were dazzling champs in the 1970s. They haven’t won since. wapo.st/4kKkWYD

ffrommer's tweet card. The New York Knicks had a mini-dynasty in the early 1970s, but that marked the high point of professional basketball at Madison Square Garden.

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · May 24

Great chatting with my old @VNewsUV pal @learyreports for his fascinating read, with @aaronzitner. on Trump & sports ... wsj.com/politics/polic… via @WSJ

ffrommer's tweet card. The president has strong views on everything from the NFL’s kickoff rules to how college players get paid, and he’s not bashful about using the power of his office to rewrite the rules of the game.

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Fred Frommer Retweeted

Will Leitch@williamfleitch · May 20

Today is release day for LLOYD MCNEIL'S LAST RIDE, my new novel about a cop who, upon learning he's dying of a brain tumor, tries to get himself killed so his family can get the insurance, keeps failing and becomes a civic hero. I think you will like it. harpercollins.com/products/lloyd…

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · May 17

My story for @thedispatch recounting how some US House members were furious when Montreal - "a foreign city" as they called it - got a ⚾️team in 1969. In 2005, MLB "reshored" the Expos by moving them to Washington. @DevlinBarrett @coachbuckethead thedispatch.com/article/trump-…

ffrommer's tweet card. How baseball ‘reshored’ the team that became the Nationals 20 years ago.

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · May 11

My essay in today's @BostonGlobe on how the Knicks are like the pre-2004 Red Sox, taking on the Goliath Celtics, who have been the Yankees of the NBA for more than 65 years. @JeremySchaap @ETNpalattella

ffrommer's tweet image. My essay in today's @BostonGlobe on how the Knicks are like the pre-2004 Red Sox, taking on the Goliath Celtics, who have been the Yankees of the NBA for more than 65 years. @JeremySchaap @ETNpalattella

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Apr 29

My story today on how Celtics great Bill Russell, the first Black #NBA player elected to the Hall of Fame, skipped his induction ceremony 50 years ago. "I felt others before me should have that honor," he explained later. @NBA_NewYork @LenElmore contrarian.substack.com/p/bill-russell…

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Apr 14

My story on how the detective on "The Residence" used bird qualities such as stealthiness and silence to help solve a White House mystery - including interviews with showrunner Paul William Davies and @KennKaufman, the show's birding consultant. @jennyrogersDC @SuzGamboa

TThe Washington Post@washingtonpost · Apr 13

Birding is tremendously popular worldwide, but it’s not commonly featured as a major plot device in fiction. And Paul William Davies, the creator and showrunner of “The Residence,” did not start out intending to do that. wapo.st/43SY0RM

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Apr 11

My story in the @thedispatch today recounting how some Republicans worried their party was about to go the way of the Whigs in 1976. Just 4 years later, Reagan would win a landslide. A lesson for both parties today? @declanpgarvey @coachbuckethead thedispatch.com/article/republ…

ffrommer's tweet card. In 1976, the party was in disarray. But in American politics, things are never as bad—or good—as they seem.

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Fred Frommer Retweeted

The Washington Post@washingtonpost · Mar 26

Foul balls are now a lucky souvenir for fans at Major League Baseball games. But 100 years ago, taking that ball home could land you in jail. wapo.st/4iZ2yu1

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Fred Frommer@ffrommer · Mar 26

My @washingtonpost story today about how #MLB teams used to require fans to give up foul balls - and had "derelicts" who refused to jailed for larceny (including an 11-year-old boy) @dcsportsbog @rickklein @jaconi @coachbuckethead #OpeningDay wapo.st/3RiXt3U

ffrommer's tweet image. My @washingtonpost story today about how #MLB teams used to require fans to give up foul balls - and had "derelicts" who refused to jailed for larceny (including an 11-year-old boy) @dcsportsbog @rickklein @jaconi @coachbuckethead #OpeningDay
wapo.st/3RiXt3U

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