WAPO Poll - Spanberger 47/46; Time to Pitch In
Pitching legend Bob Gibson and Pete Rose help
On August 2 of last year, I received a text from the second oldest of our four adult children:
Worst thing you have ever done to me
I couldn’t argue with William.
He was a full grown man who would soon turn 30, so I had to sit with his truth.
It weighed on me.
A gainfully employed, college degreed homeowner who married his high school sweetheart, William has always been a thinker.
Of all the ball players I coached over the years in many sports, William was far and away the most coachable kid.
He was the “Glue Guy” on our teams - the one player who kept the team together in tough times and grounded in good times. Not the best athlete, but the best chemistry kid.
I don’t say that as his dad, that’s what other players, coaches, and parents reflected back to me. Over time, I came to see it as well.
So, that text stung.
Unlike most parenting decisions, in this circumstance, I had had no choice.
Call it fate…call it karma…call it genetics…call it an accident of birth…
Whether William liked it or not, we are Pittsburgh Pirates fans.
Ouch.
Whereas I was raised in glory days of Pirate greatness - Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, two World Series wins over BALTIMORE (that never gets old to say), and being at the top of the division annually, William has seen few winning if even competitive seasons.
He has never seen the Pirates win a division. Ever. The kid is almost 30!
The July trade deadline has become an annual Anti Christmas.
Christmas in July? uhhh…NO.
More like when Charlie Brown got a rock for Halloween
A ritual so bereft of hope that the mere mention of a Single A prospect with “upside” induced not only nausea but on one occasion (yes the Chris Archer trade in 2018) literal vomit.
August 1, 2025 was the day AFTER another miserable trade deadline in which the Pirates dealt away - again - veterans for MORE “prospects with upside.”
On this particular Misery Day +1, the Pirates scored nine runs in the first inning.
It was against the WORST team in baseball, the Colorado Rockies, but maybe the remaining Battling Buccos were saying to the baseball gods that we will “not go gentle into that good night.” (yes, Dylan Thomas, Charlie Brown, and Willy Wonka - you’re welcome)
REVENGE!
We will gather our best selves and take on our foes hoping to Raise the Jolly Roger over Denver!
9-0 in the very FIRST inning!
We lost 17-16.
To the worst team.
A team that would lose 119 times.
Worst thing you have ever done to me
William’s also very funny.
Readers of my columns have expressed their genuine appreciation of my pop cultural references over the years along with accompanying videos that hopefully help make the point I am trying to convey.
Now I’m going to ask for your indulgence, patience, and understanding as I pivot to baseball.
Why baseball?
Well, it’s similar to politics and deeply woven into our American fabric.
Also - not partisan.
When I saw the Washington Post poll that came out earlier this week about the Approval/Disapproval ratings for Governor Abigail Spanberger, I quickly dove into the other questions provided.
But the top line had to sting 47-46 just 5 months after trouncing Winsome Earle-Sears 58-42.
Analysis - intensity working against her
The Top Issue from her campaign?
Affordability.
Analysis - not making the sale on HER #1 priority down 31-64. Ouch.
Why?
One reason - Gerrymandering has been the dominant issue and it has NOTHING to do with Affordability:
Analysis - not in line with where her campaign was or where Virginia is.
To make matters worse, WAPO’s poll was +7 with women, college degrees at 47, and Democrats +6 while Spanberger was 47-46 or +1.
Most of the narrative problems Spanberger is facing is not of her making, but in politics and baseball you don’t get to choose the pitches you face, only the pitches you throw.
Last night, the Governor threw out the first pitch to open up the LONG awaited new Car Max Park stadium home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels - AA team of the San Francisco Giants. It’s a great new ball park - recommend highly.
Traffic prevented William, his younger brother, John, and me from seeing the ceremonial first pitch. Social media told me it was not on the mark…
But that’s not the point of ceremony.
She’s been in office less than 80 days - it’s still the first inning.
Everyone can take a breath; however, Spanberger’s actions on many important bills over the next week will determine a lot.
The ceremonies are over and the Governor has been throwing off the plate early in the game missing the strike zone.
Spanberger needs to weigh in by Pitching In.
She’s needs to move some legislators and members of her own party off the plate - that’s where the battle is fought.
They’ve been crowding the plate.
In baseball, if the batter is crowding the plate and the pitcher does NOT pitch inside, the batters get more leverage. Things only get worse for the pitcher’s team.
This pitcher’s problem is that both teams are hers.
The good thing for Spanberger is that politics, unlike baseball, is not a team sport.
It’s okay to pitch inside.
If she doesn’t, it could be the worse thing for her team.
Irony noted.