Let's Play Political Ball

I know I know, it’s been awhile. Thanks to a select few (you know who you are) I have been persuaded to stop being lazy, and turn on my brain to the world of the obscure knowledge once again. Since baseball (with the coming of Strasburg) and politics (with the coming of… um, independence) have been consuming the Washington scene lately, I figured why not combine the two around a unique area event…

The Congressional Baseball Game

Those involved in the political scene in Washington, D.C. mark this day down months in advance. Those outside the beltway probably don’t even know it exists. But it is just what it sounds like. Each year, Members of the House and the Senate, clad in their political party’s uniform, take the field to duke it out in America’s favorite pastime. Rather than throwing politically charged insults and critiques in the Capitol, they are throwing baseballs AND politically charged insults at Nationals Park today. How did this masterful way for our elected leaders to take their argument to the field instead of the chamber begin?

The first baseball game between Members of Congress took place in 1909 but started as a casual way to vent some frustration and engage in some old fashioned sports competition. The game was organized by Representative John Tener (R-Pa) who had actually played professional baseball in the minor leagues for awhile, and even one game in the major league with the Baltimore Orioles and later for the Pittsburgh Burghers. He was elected to Congress from Pennsylvania for one term before being elected governor of the state in 1911. For the first 6 years the game was played, Democrats dominated the field winning the first game 26-16. Republicans captured their first game in 1916.

Over the years the game has seen many venues, many types of players, and occasionally been interrupted by wars, depressions, or by congressional leadership who became frustrated that the baseball game occupied more time and energy than legislation. A few highlights.In 1917, Representative Jeannette Rankin (R-Mo) became the first woman to participate in the game. Coincidentally she was the first woman elected to Congress and, as a pacifist, was the only Member of Congress to vote against the declarations of war for both WWI and WWII. The first game covered by radio was in 1928. In 1958, Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn cancelled it because he deemed the game a distraction and claimed it had become too contentious. Sadface.

Have no fear! In 1962, with the cooperation and sponsorship of the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, the game was revived and has been played annually ever since. With the new sponsor, a best-of-five game trophy series was created, awarding a trophy to the team that won three of the five games. To date, 10 trophies have been awarded, 8 to the Republicans and 2 to

the Democrats. From 1969-1975, Wilmer Mizell (R-Nc), who was a former pitcher for the Cardinals, Pirates, and the Mets, led the Republicans to victories in each year he played. The total tally for games won and lost stands at 41 wins for the Republicans, 33 for the Democrats, and 1 tie in 1983. In 2009, the Democrats won their first game since 2000 with the election of numerous younger members with the Democratic sweep in the elections of 2006 and 2008.

This year, 87-year old Rachel Robinson, wife of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, threw out the ceremonial opening pitch. Each year the game raises more than $100,000 for charity, this year the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, D.C. and the Washington Literacy Council. Tensions are hot again this year after a tumultuous political year in Congress.

What I like most is this shows that Members of Congress are not some elite class of people, they enjoy the same pastimes as the rest of America – talking smack before a sporting match, sweating it out over a classic American game, and kicking back to a beer and recapping their brief escape from the tensions of politics. Despite disagreements over policy, there's nothing like a good ol' sports match to let off some steam.