Rex Kickass Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 http://online.wsj.com/google_login.html?ur...Dgooglenews_wsj Starting this week, hundreds of young Capitol Hill aides will indulge in an annual rite of spring here by changing out of their business suits and heading over to the National Mall to play in the Congressional Softball League. Amid all the partisan rancor of congressional politics, the softball league has for 37 years been a rare case of bipartisan civility, an opportunity for Democratic and Republican aides to sneak out of work a bit early and take the field in the name of the lawmaker, committee or federal agency they work for. This year, the league will be missing something: a lot of the Republicans. During the off-season, a group of Republican teams seceded from the league after accusing its Democratic commissioner, Gary Caruso, of running a socialist year-end playoff system that gives below-average teams an unfair chance to win the championship. The league "is all about Softball Welfare -- aiding the weak by punishing the strong," the pitcher of one Republican team told Mr. Caruso in an email. "The commissioner has a long-standing policy of punishing success and rewarding failure. He's a Democrat. Waddya' expect?" read another email, from Gary Mahmoud, the coach of BoehnerLand, a team from the office of Republican Majority Leader John Boehner. The softball coup is a "reflection of how partisan and Republican this town has really become since Republicans took control," responds Mr. Caruso, a longtime Democratic aide who worked for congressmen in the 1980s and '90s. "Republicans come here and want to bash your head in. And if they don't get their way, they pick up the ball and go home." The commissioner of the secessionist league is Anthony Reed, 31 years old, a legislative aide to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R., Ill.) and the coach of Denny's Grand Slam. Mr. Reed and a small group of unhappy coaches formed this new league and persuaded 110 of the 190 teams in the old league to withdraw and join them. Not all the teams in the new league are from Republican offices, but the rebellion was predominantly led by GOP teams, including Denny's Grand Slam, BoehnerLand, the 1040 Slashers, who represent Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas, and a team of staffers from the office of Republican Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio. The congressional league is a relaxed affair: No umpires call balls and strikes, so batters don't have to swing until they get a pitch they like. Fields are open to the public, so most teams dispatch an intern or junior aide to reserve a field several hours before game time. And after games, teams often head to a bar to recap the game over chicken wings and pitchers of beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samclemens Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 this sounds like a story from the onion. politicians never cease to amaze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandy125 Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 ^^^^^^^^ :headshake This is just plain silly. Sounds like something from grade school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 I think the league got too big and it was divided and someone had fun writing the story. I love the names, Dennys Grand Slam, 1040 Slashers, etc. BTW, it's legit, Wall Street Journal and a Seattle Times have run the story. From friends of mine that have worked D.C. it's an industry town, everyone works in the industry, and there is a lot more comradery than you'd expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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