Hardball

We all need to protect the vote. "Politics ain't beanbag."

This may be apocryphal, but too good a story to pass on. In the early days of intercollegiate baseball, the President of Harvard was alarmed by the behavior of a rival team, probably Yale. He had heard that the opposing pitcher was throwing a trick pitch, a “curve ball.” This he felt was the height of unsportsmanlike conduct. Cheating. No Harvard man would sink to such depths.

Well we know the rest of the story. Baseball as it moved from town ball to an urban game, played by city toughs, took on its own customs, norms and rules. In a sense it was the “cheaters” game, or what it’s supporters called “hard” ball. Actually, the ball was hardened. And then thrown under the chin. Or a little higher.

This was not cricket. And it became in some circles an example of how politics “worked.” Mr. Dooley was the literary creation of newspaper columnist Peter Dunne in the late 19^th century. Sitting in his favorite Chicago bar, he commented on Politics.

““Sure, politics ain’t bean-bag. ‘Tis a man’s game, an’ women, childer, cripples an’ prohybitionists’d do well to keep out iv it.”

Chris Mathews titled his book in the 1980s on American politics: “HARDBALL How Politics is Played.” He did define hardball as “clean, aggressive, Machiavellian politics,” but insiders know what he meant. Politics is played like baseball.

And baseball is “hardball.” Never been “clean.” (It’s why we need so many umpires on the field.) Afterall it is America’s game. “Winning makes it right.”

I think about this as we begin the difficult run toward the next election. Neither party should assume honest voting and honest vote counting.

As things stand right now, it looks like Democrats will win control of the House. Republicans know this. The 2026 Election will be hardball.