CT Blue

A while back I suggested that the fate of the Boston Red Sox and the Democratic Party might be mysteriously linked this year, victims or beneficiaries of some cosmic force that survives on a diet of irony. I observed that the Democrats were the Red Sox of baseball, always capable of blowing it in the end. And yet…

And yet, hope springs eternal in the human breast. So I submit that, just maybe, the fate of the Red Sox and the Democrats are inextricably entwined. If the Red Sox manage to go all the way, then so too, shall the Democrats. This year, the gods of baseball and the gods of politics have made a pact. As the Red Sox go, so goes the nation. Democrats: prepare for the worst.

But the Red Sox have not yet blown it! They trounced the hated Yankees. They did the same to the Astros, who we neither hate nor love; they simply exist in a part of the baseball universe that we ignore for 95% of the season. Now only the Dodgers, the Brooklyn castoffs, stand in the way. Is it possible that the Sox are going to pull us over the line?

Here’s a sign of hope. How delicious would it be if the biggest asshole in the Senate (and that is a difficult title to earn) were beaten in the red state of Texas. I’m not saying this is going to happen, but there appears to be hope. Consider that yesterday was the first day of voting in Texas, and turnout was huge (people waiting in lines) in blue leaning areas.

Now it’s true that, Texas being Texas, we can’t know how these people are voting, but consider again: would you turn out early and wait in line for Ted Cruz?

It just may be that the Dems and the Sox will both cross the finish line this year. At least we can still hope, though we must never forget the failures of which both are capable. I don’t know if Bill Buckner is a Democrat, but he should be.

Addendum: I feel sort of bad about that last sentence, as I have always maintained that Bill Buckner should not have been blamed for that disastrous loss. He was playing injured and should not have been in the game; the manager was counting Red Sox chickens without considering that they might not (given we’re talking Red Sox, probably would not) hatch. I well remember saying out loud, before that inning began, that of course Buckner would be removed for defensive purposes and Dave Stapleton would replace him, but this obvious move did not take place. Anyway, the pitchers were in the process of blowing the game, so Buckner merely hastened the process.