Politicians lose to reporters
It was a bruising loss and certainly not what was expected, but the Scribes beat the Senators 9-0 in today’s game under bright blue skies at Martin Field. The Senators started with a rough first inning as the Scribes got five runs right out of the gate, and despite a valiant effort, they never completely gained their stride. They did, however, hold the Scribes to the initial five runs for many of the seven innings. And although the team of councilors, representatives, school committee members, and candidates had several outstanding double plays and more than a few exceptional hits, they could not pull out of their slump. Unfortunately, many of the best Senator hits were fly balls that were caught by the Scribes’ excellent fielders. In addition, as several people noted, the Scribes seemed to have a fair share of young, twenty-something aged athletes, while the Senators were a motley crew of middle-age-plus players. My personal performance was somewhat lacking, which is a disappointment only time will heal if ever. Even though I got a decent hit at bat, my moment of truth in the outfield ended when I did not catch a high-flying ball headed right to me. As my son said, “I should have had that one.” (Such is the pressure of sports—and losing—which, of course, are great lessons for life.) After the game, we joined forces for a cookout with the promise (or should I say threat) that we would all “do it again” next year. In all, it was a fun time with rousing spectators from both teams as well as good-natured ribbing all around. The game also raised a great deal of money—thousands—for Sun Santa, Big Brother Big Sister, and the Paul Sullivan Memorial Fund. Speaking for myself, I’d do again, but I want to practice more than once before the big game, and there’s got to be some way to recruit folks to run for office at a younger age. Anyway, thanks to State Senator Steve Panagiotakos for organizing this event: he pulled elected officials and challengers together in a common goal that didn’t need a winning score to be a win for our community. As for the reporters, they will continue to gleefully attack us with their ink; at least for the time being, they have a whole new topic to write about.