"All that is old and already formed can continue to live only if it allows within itself the conditions of a new beginning."
John Kerry Pulls Ahead in Red Sox Nation
Posted 10:22 p.m., July 25, 2004
|
BOSTON -- Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry came one step closer to winning over a majority of voters in the Red Sox Nation tonight. On the eve of the Democratic nominating convention in Boston, the candidate appeared during the 5th inning of an ESPN baseball telecast--sounding off solidly in favor of the Red Sox over the hated Yankees.
The Yankees--a team representing Major League Baseball cartel trusts--simply suck, the candidate said.
Well, OK, that's not what he said, exactly. Or, even at all. But that is the vibe that this reporter came away with during an appearance that for possibly the first time before a national audience represented the notion that John Kerry could--in a pinch--be a guy the average baseball fan might share a beer with.
We'll be honest; of course, Kerry was a little stiff and wooden as always, and the weird closeup camera angle and TV headset brought to mind something akin to the 1988 Dukakis-on-a-tank incident as it might have been rendered by the brilliant political cartoonist Kirk Anderson.
But Kerry was actually less of a stiffy than usual. And, stupid as it sounds, his obvious knowledge of baseball and its traditions does in some small sense serve to loosen the knots that have tied down his personality so tightly. At least for this baseball fan.
More importantly, Kerry showed a canny understanding of Red Sox history, and the curses that have plagued the team since its last World Series victory in Boston's Babe Ruth era in 1918.
"Let me tell you, I was worried stiff in the beginning of that first inning [when pitcher Derek Lowe appeared to be throwing the game away for the Red Sox]," Kerry said. "I thought, 'Oh my God, if we don't do any better than this, they'll think I jinxed this place.'" (That's more plausible than it sounds, folks.)
The candidate, in a 15-minute interview with ESPN announcer Jon Miller, came out with strong stances on some of the crucial issues facing the Red Sox Nation.
Score one against the senator on this point.
- Asked about the crucial Game 7 playoff game in October 2003 in which Red Sox manager Grady Little failed to replace tiring pitcher Red Sox Pedro Martinez before the Yankees had a chance to retake tie the score, Kerry admitted for the first time to having had a Howard Dean moment. "Boy, I was throwing stuff at that television set, I was screaming for him to be out of that game. [Pedro] should have been out. I thought Grady made a mistake."
- Asked about a bench-clearing brawl that took place Saturday night during a Yankees-Red Sox game, the senator may have lost a few points with Red Sox Nationals by appearing not to take sides. Did he get upset with the Yankees, he was asked: "No. That's part of the game. That's part of the great rivalry. And when you get a pitch like that, somebody's going to get upset and that's what happens. It's just the way it goes."
"Obviously, we think so. But there are even divided opinions here on that. A lot of folks were upset when he left, needless to say. And he's had a funny relationship here. I think most people here have enormous respect. He's pitching incredibly, he's done it for years and years now, he's helped the Red Sox in unbelievable ways. ... I think people would like him to be [in the Hall of Fame] where his record was really built."
- Asked whether former Red Sox ace Roger Clemens should take his spot in the Hall of Fame representing the Red Sox (despite having pitched for The Cartel), the candidate began to regain the momentum he had built up by answering the Pedro Martinez question correctly.
- Candidate Kerry scored his biggest points on the most crucial question of the interview. Asked whether the designated hitter rule should be maintained or abolished, Sen. Kerry showed true presidential mettle: "I've never liked it," he says. "Never liked it. ... I personally have never liked the designated hitter rule."
- On whether Pete Rose should be eligible for reinstatement: "I've been asked that a whole lot in Ohio, and that's up to the writers. I tell you, I think probably that's pretty difficult." Later in the telecast, ABC news commentator George Stephanopoulos appeared in the broadcast booth to declare the candidate had "dodged" the Rose issue.
- On his stance on steroids in baseball: "It's not the centerpiece of my platform, obviously I'm talking about jobs and healthcare and education and making America safe, and doing a better job on the war on terror. But steroids are bad. They're wrong. I think any kind of drug enhancement, any kind of blood doping in sports defeats what sports are really all about. I think we need to take steps to make sure that people aren't using those enhancements."
- On whether Red Sox slugger David Ortiz could join a Kerry cabinet, the candidate laughed, disappointing fans in the Red Sox Nation who might have held out hope for such an appointment: "I'm hoping he'll be right down here and I'd love to welcome the World Series Champion Red Sox to the White House when I have an opportunity to."
With that, and with a parting, "Go, Red Sox!", John Kerry became the odds-on favorite to be elected as president of the Red Sox Nation.
-- Kevin Featherly
