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	<title>Weird Baseball</title>
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		<title>HOW POLITICS MAY HAVE INFILTRATED BASEBALL</title>
		<link>http://weirdbaseball.com/blog/?p=1</link>
		<comments>http://weirdbaseball.com/blog/?p=1#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Mar 2010 20:56:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>yellowstone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Miscellaneous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JFK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Red Sox]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[republican]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yankees]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[A wry look at one of the most supreme coincidences in the last 100 years.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by &#8220;Professor&#8221; Yellowstone Ritter</p>
<p>What I am about to present is a series of  “coincidences” so bizarre that reading them may very well transform you  into a conspiracy theorist (especially if you&#8217;ve managed to avoid drinking our government&#8217;s tap water).</p>
<p>As most of us know, President George W. Bush spent eight  consecutive autumns living in the White House. His first was in 2001 and  his last was in 2008. Have you ever noticed that not once during his  tenure did the mighty New York Yankees win a world championship?</p>
<p>Now, perhaps that’s not too unusual since 22 other major  league ballclubs also failed to win the big one from 2001-2008. But what  makes this especially peculiar is that the Bronx Bombers DID manage to  win it all just BEFORE President Bush arrived and also managed to win  big in the first World Series AFTER he departed. Did the former Rangers  owner have it in for the Yankees? Probably not, but it&#8217;s almost enough  to make you wonder &#8212;- and if it isn’t, then try the following fact on  for size.</p>
<p>As it turns out, the last NINE Yankee championships all  occurred with Democrat Presidents in power.</p>
<p>President John F. Kennedy was in power for two Yankee championships. Oddly enough, the Yankee&#8217;s airport of choice was later renamed JFK, despite the fact that Kennedy had far more of an  affiliation with Massachusetts than he ever did with New York.</p>
<p>Of course, the Yankees floundered during the Nixon and  Ford years, but once President Jimmy Carter took office, they almost  magically experienced two more world championships. Their future seemed  bright, but once Carter gave way to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George  H.W. Bush, the Yankees once again became also-rans.</p>
<p>But those 12 Republican years set for the stage for the  emergence of President Bill Clinton, a man who practically had the phone  number to the Yankee&#8217;s clubhouse on speed dial. During Clinton&#8217;s eight  years, the Yankees won more world championships than every other team  combined.</p>
<p>As coincidence would have it, after President Clinton  stepped down, he not only moved to New York City, but his wife became  one of the Empire State&#8217;s two senators &#8212; despite the fact they they  were both primarily from Arkansas.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s almost enough to make you wonder whether there is a  connection between the Yankees and liberals, especially when considering  that, since 1960, Republicans have been in the Oval Office far more  often than have Democrats.</p>
<p>But the partisan “coincidences” I&#8217;ve stumbled across don’t  stop there.</p>
<p>Think of the last 4 world championships that the A’s  brought to the city of Oakland. Would it shock you to learn that they  all occurred under Republican administrations? To me, this makes perfect  sense, especially when you consider that both the Athletics and the  Republican party have long used the elephant as their symbol for no  apparent reason.</p>
<p>Additionally, it&#8217;s interesting to note how the A&#8217;s have  been known through the decades for how &#8220;conservative&#8221; they spent their  money (Charlie Finley, Billy Beane, et al.) as opposed to how  &#8220;liberally&#8221; the Yankees have managed their payrolls.<br />
Now, pause to consider the curious case of the Cincinnati  Reds; a team who, interestingly enough, is known by the same “red” color  as the many &#8220;Red&#8221; states that favor Republicans. As such, it should  come as no wonder that Cincy’s last three world championships (’75, ’76,  ’90) all occurred with a GOP President in office.<br />
How did other &#8220;Red&#8221; teams do?</p>
<p>Well, at this point, it probably wouldn&#8217;t surprise you to  learn that the last two world championships won by the Redbirds in St.  Louis  (’82, ’06) also came with Republicans at the helm of the country.</p>
<p>Which brings me to the arch-rivals of the &#8220;liberal&#8221; New  York Yankees; the Boston RED Sox.</p>
<p>It stands to reason that Beantown’s two most recent world  championships would have occurred with an &#8220;arch-rival&#8221; to liberals  sitting in the Oval Office&#8212;-and that&#8217;s exactly what happened.</p>
<p>Another hated rival of the Yankees is the New York Mets, a  team with two proud world championships of their own (in 1969 and  1986). Did these two Met crowning achievements fit with our pattern and  occur with Republicans in power?  Of course, they did.</p>
<p>But in closing, I&#8217;d like to note that not all Yankee  rivals end up more seeming more conservative than liberal. Take for  instance, the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that has two world championship  to their credit. Their rise to power in 1992 coincided with the rise to  power President Clinton experienced that same year with his election to  the Presidency..and as history proves, 1993 was a pretty great one for  Toronto again. But that&#8217;s a small wonder when you consider that the  color &#8220;Blue&#8221; was in their title.</p>
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