Campaign Softball Tournament

By Raquel Maria Dillon on Friday, August 22, 2003.

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Dean beat Lieberman. Edwards is out after losing to Gephardt. And Kerry slaughtered Graham 15-to-2?
No, it?s not the latest presidential primary poll, it?s campaign softball season. New Hampshire campaign staffers and interns make up the co-ed teams.
This afternoon at Manchester?s Derryfield Park, the last teams left standing ? Dean, Gephardt, Kerry (and Team Lieberman, the wildcard) ? will play for the championship. New Hampshire Public Radio?s Raquel Maria Dillon attended a game earlier in the season.

You know this isn?t your typical after-work, co-ed summer softball league when you see the cars in the parking lot next to the Derryfield Park ball fields. Most have license plates from Idaho, New York, Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, Montana? Campaign staffers come from far away to work on New Hampshire Primary campaigns.
SOMEONE :?? Kathy, is Jimmy Pinhead coming? I invited him?

If you?re young, energetic, temporarily relocated to a small city where you don?t know anyone except your coworkers, and completely immersed in an all-consuming job? this is what you might do for fun?
SOUND Clink! Heads up! Atta-boy!
The Gephardt staffers put up signs and sported baseball jerseys that said ?Team Gephardt, New Hampshire 2004? on the front. The player?s nickname was on the back.
GUY? :08 I?m Big E, he?s Gomez, they?re all jokes.
FORD you got smokey and banana and a million others, everyone?s got a nickname.

That?s Erin Ford of Phoenix, Arizona. She recently graduated from Wellesley College and came to Manchester to work for Gephardt?s presidential campaign.
FORD :07 we like to look the part. We?re out here to have fun and play other campaigns. We?re all out here to have a good time.

Team Gephardt was warming up, playing catch, and hitting balls. But Team Edwards was no where to be seen. Gephardt?s New Hampshire spokeswoman Kathy Roeder:
ROEDER :10 They?re late. I don?t want to characterize what it means.
SOMEONE They?re scared! Hehee.
ROEDER They?ll be here I?m sure.

The Edwards staffers finally straggled in, a few at a time.
SOMEDUDE :04 you don?t look like you?re ready to play, dude. 7 o?clock, right?

Edwards? New Hampshire press secretary Colin Van Ostern said they had a good excuse. Their candidate had to deliver a major policy address the following Monday.
VAN OSTERN :05 it?s hard to justify, oh, let?s not have the meeting because we have to go to the softball game?

Here are the rules: only staffers and full-time New Hampshire volunteers can play, each team must field four female players, and no candidates on the field.
KANTERES :05 I?m the self-appointed commissioner of the first in the nation presidential softball league.

Manchester Democratic activist Will Kanteres says the softball tradition goes back to 1984.
KANTERES :?? it came down to walter Mondale and Gary Hart in final. Mondale squeaked it out in the end. Very much reflective of the campaign that year.

Kanteres says the Sharpton and Mosely-Braun campaigns did not respond to the invitation to play. The Kucinich campaign couldn?t field a team.
SOUND :?? jenny you?re up first. Are you kidding? Jenny, james, sara? wait, do we have any bats?

Campaigning never stops for these staffers. Even on the bench, James Katz, a New York City native, was making calls on his cell phone, rounding up supporters for the upcoming Edwards event ? much to the amusement of his co-workers.
KATZ :08 ?could show up at our healthcare event on Monday, Sen. Edwards is going to unveiling his healthcare proposal? and we?d love to have somebody from dartmouth there.

The Gephardt team was twice as large and more focused and organized. But the Edwards team was louder, chanting the name of a player?s home state as she stepped up to bat?
SOUND :?? let?s go Idaho! Go Idaho! Clink!

Someone on the Gephardt team brought out a case of Bud Light. Erin Ford popped out. Edwards? Colin Van Ostern caught it at second base.
SOUND :?? Clink! cheers, awww?
As dusk fell, the two teams agreed to cut the game short.
CHANT :05? give me an E! Give me a D! Give me a W! Etc?

It was a close game, but Edwards pulled it off in the end. The final score was 13 to 8. Team Edwards celebrated their victory with a group hug.
CHANT :08? What?s it spell? Edwards! Who?s the next president? Edwards! Who?s gonna win NH? Edwards!

Some of the Gephardt players cracked open some beers to console themselves and headed off to a pizza party.
This afternoon, Former Governor Jeanne Shaheen will throw out the first pitch in the Final game. The Howard Dean team is hoping their candidate will take a moment out of his New Hampshire campaign schedule personally to cheer them on.
Winners and losers alike will retire to a party at the Black Brimmer restaurant afterwards. Commissioner Kanteres says he?ll pick the best players for a Democratic All-Star Team. They will then challenge the Republican State Committee next month.
KANTERES :10 so it gives the staffs a chance to play together and work together as well as remember that in Nov 2004, they?re all be on the same team.]

In the spirit of friendly competition, a win tonight won?t mean much in the long run, except for bragging rights. The real playoffs are in January.
For NHPR News, I?m RMD.