Congressional Baseball

Greetings, friends, on my final day in Boulder! Now are the dreaded penultimate moments before tomorrow’s long flight back to DC. Happily, I was able to convince all concerned parties that my presence in DC might be put off just a day longer than scheduled, that I might take for myself a much-needed breather in my hometown without consequence to others. So here I am!

But, really, my trip Eastward won’t be so very arduous this time on account of an event to which I’ve looked forward for some time.

The Congressional Baseball Game now set for this coming Wednesday evening, is a tradition among members of the House and the Senate. Each year, athletically-inclined Representatives sign up to play according to their party affiliations, and as a benefit to the Boys and Girls Club of America (an after-school program geared to keep kids occupied and out of harm’s way). Aptly so, my partner is playing with his fellow Democrats, whose year it is to win after a long stretch of Republican victories.

For two months, during our weeks in Washington, my partner has risen with the sun at the nethermost start of his day, and participated in practice sessions that last an hour. The first day he came back from practice, I asked how he might judge the team’s abilities, and he surprised me, though in retrospect, I should have nodded without wonder. Of course Congresspeople are sporting! And not simply in a judicial sort of way. In fact, my partner, who is quite a hand at baseball in his own right, had only the greatest encomium to speak on behalf of his teammates. He accounted to their skills, noting that members are naturally overachievers, and so it comes as no surprise they should demonstrate acumen in sports, as well.

On Wednesday night, I’ll witness the game in-person, and I’m very excited. I was never much for professional sports, until my partner took the time to explain the rules, and now I can’t get enough. I’m especially fond of America’s pastime. It’s such a complex game.