Kerry's Senate Floor Comments When Boston Won The ALCS in 1986. (Pretentious? Maybe not?)

Text that appears in UPPER CASE identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor

MR. KERRY. MR. PRESIDENT, IT WAS THE NINTH INNING OF THE FIFTH GAME OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES. THE CALIFORNIA ANGELS WERE LEADING THE BOSTON RED SOX 5-4. THERE WERE TWO OUTS AND TWO STRIKES ON RED SOX RESERVE OUTFIELDER DAVID HENDERSON. ANGELS' STAR RELIEVER DONNIE MOORE WAS ON THE MOUND, AND WAS ONE STRIKE FROM ELIMINATING THE RED SOX AND CAPTURING THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT. ANAHEIM STADIUM WAS SET TO EXPLODE AS THE CALIFORNIA FANS PUSHED TOWARD THE FIELD IN ANTICIPATION OF THEIR SEEMINGLY INEVITABLE CHAMPIONSHIP. ANGELS' BAT BOYS WERE ALREADY UNCORKING THE CHAMPAGNE IN THE LOCKER ROOM.

YET, THE RED SOX STILL HAD ONE MORE SWING -- ONE MORE GLIMMER OF HOPE TO SALVAGE THIS MAGICAL SUMMER SEASON IN BOSTON. IN ONE OF THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS IN BASEBALL HISTORY, DAVID HENDERSON SMASHED A TWO-RUN HOME RUN TO SILENCE THE FANS AND BREATHE LIFE INTO A TEAM CONSIDERED ALL BUT DEAD BY FRIENDS AND FOE ALIKE. TO THE DISBELIEF OF CALIFORNIA AND BOSTON FANS, THE RED SOX SURVIVED THIS NEAR EXTINCTION, AND BROUGHT THE SERIES BACK TO BOSTON FOR TWO FINAL GAMES. WITH EASE, THE RED SOX WON THESE TWO CRITICAL GAMES AT FENWAY, CAPTURING THE AMERICAN LEAGUE FLAG FOR ONLY THE FOURTH TIME IN 67 YEARS.

MR. PRESIDENT, I RISE TODAY TO EXPRESS THE INCREDIBLE EXCITEMENT AND ANTICIPATION NOW FELT BY MY HOME CITY OF BOSTON, MY HOME STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS AND THE ENTIRE NEW ENGLAND REGION. WHILE THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TEAMS IN THE ANNALS OF SPORTS THAT HAVE SUFFERED IGNOMINIOUS DEFEATS, NO TEAM HAS ENDURED THE FRUSTRATION OF FAILED POTENTIAL MORE THAN THE BOSTON RED SOX. THIS WEEK, THE 1986 VERSION OF THE OLDE TOWNE TEAM ATONED FOR THE PAST, PARTIALLY ERASING THE MEMORY OF SOME OF THE HORRIFIC GHOSTS OF 1946, 1967, 1975, AND 1978. IF PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE, AND YOGI BERRA CONFIRMED THAT IT IS WITH HIS FAMED STATEMENT THAT "IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER," THEN BOSTON'S PATIENT FENWAY FAITHFUL HAVE UPHELD THEIR VIRTUE ONCE AGAIN, AND CAN CELEBRATE.

BUT ONE MORE TASK LIES AHEAD. WITH FOUR MORE WINS AGAINST THE NEW YORK METS, BOSTON CAN FINALLY CLAIM A BASEBALL CHAMPION.

MORE EV:

Congressional Record -- Senate

Wednesday, May 7, 1986;
(Legislative day of Monday, May 5, 1986)

99th Cong. 2nd Sess.

132 Cong Rec S 5583

REFERENCE: Vol. 132 No. 60

TITLE: BASEBALL STRIKEOUT CAPITAL

SPEAKER: MR. KERRY

TEXT:
Text that appears in UPPER CASE identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.

MR. KERRY. MR. PRESIDENT, I RISE TODAY TO MAKE A PITCH TO FURTHER UNDERSCORE MASSACHUSETTS' STANDING AS THE STRIKEOUT CAPITAL OF THE NATION.

THAT STANDING WAS RECONFIRMED MONDAY BY DAVE HOWELL'S 26-STRIKEOUT PERFORMANCE. THE SWAMPSCOTT HIGH SENIOR PACED THE BIG BLUE TO A 3 TO 2 VICTORY OVER RIVAL BEVERLY HIGH. IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL, ONLY 11 PITCHERS HAVE STRUCK OUT MORE.

BUT THE SWAMPSCOTT SOUTHPAW'S ACHIEVEMENTS WERE NOT LIMITED TO THE MOUND. HE HAD A GREAT DAY AT THE PLATE AS WELL. HE HAD A DOUBLE, A TRIPLE, A HOMERUN AND TWO RBI'S. HE EVEN SCORED THE WINNING RUN.

HIS EFFORT IS THE LATEST IN THE ROTATION OF MASSACHUSETTS PITCHERS THAT WAS LED OFF BY ROGER CLEMENS. LAST WEEK THE SENATE SUPPORTED A RESOLUTION SENATOR KENNEDY AND I OFFERED TO RECOGNIZE THE 20 STRIKEOUTS THROWN BY THE RED SOX ACE.

AT THIS TIME I WOULD LIKE TO ADD ANOTHER NAME TO THE STRIKEOUT ROSTER. IN DEFEAT, BEVERLY HIGH'S CHRIS PETER'S HURLED THE BEST GAME OF HIS CAREER, STRIKING OUT 18 SWAMPSCOTT BATTERS.

I HOPE MY SENATE TEAMMATES WILL NOT BALK AT RECOGNIZING DAVE HOWELL'S ACCOMPLISHMENT. ANYONE WHO CRIES FOUL IS OFF BASE AND CAN TAKE A WALK, BECAUSE DAVE HOWELL IS A HIT IN SWAMPSCOTT.

SUBJECT: BASEBALL & SOFTBALL (91%); ATHLETES (76%); HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS (71%);

Congressional Record -- Senate

Thursday, November 19, 1987

100th Cong. 1st Sess.

133 Cong Rec S 16532

REFERENCE: Vol. 133 No. 186

TITLE: LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL AND THE HANDICAPPED

SPEAKER: Mr. KERRY

TEXT: Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I rise to share with this body a heartening event that occurred today in the world of little league baseball and the handicapped. In my home State of Massachusetts we have a little league charter in the city of Brockton that includes 3 special needs baseball teams within their 35 team certification. It is a successful program that has offered so much to the community's physically challenged children; and I applaud the citizens of Brockton who had the foresight and sensitivity to understand what it means for all kids including handicapped kids, to be little leaguers.

Mr. President, last summer, I threw out the opening pitch at their first game. It was really something extraordinary. It was so clear to me what it means to these kids. You could see it in their eyes and on the smiles of the little leaguers as they got up to bat and made their way down the first base line. Everybody knows how proud a child feels when they suit up in their little league uniform; and for a handicapped child the wonderful feeling is even greater. These kids are faced with the daily barriers of being handicapped, barriers at school, social barriers, and the barriers that come with being seen as different. The program in Brockton offers these children a tremendous chance to participate in their community and that is what America is all about, opportunities, and especially baseball.

Several weeks ago, my Boston office got a telephone call from some folks in Brockton concerned because they had heard from the Little League of America that their whole charter might be revoked if they did not eliminate the three special needs teams. To their credit, the Brockton community rallied around the special needs teams. You cannot imagine the outcry from parents of handicapped and nonhandicapped children, they were outraged at the thought that this exceptional program and their special needs athletes, would be shutdown. For the past month, we have been trying to devise a solution to the problem, and Mr. President I am pleased to say that today one was reached.

I spoke with the league president, Dr. Cleighton Hale, and we agreed that what needed to be done, was to turn this situation around, and create an opportunity for both the Little League of America and children across the Nation both disabled and nondisabled alike. He agreed to continue to allow all of the children in Brockton the chance to be little leaguers. And suddenly, Mr. President, we have a whole new ballgame. In addition Dr. Hale agreed to set up a task force which will explore how the Little League of America can integrate handicapped children into their national system. They plan to use the lessons learned in Brockton to explore a national program. For example, the Brockton local little league charter found individuals who were trained in special needs to volunteer as coaches. Furthermore the parents pooled their resources and took care of the insurance. It is truly a model.

Mr. President, the lesson that we have learned today through Brockton and the National Little League is an important one with far reaching implications. By allowing physically challenged kids to be a part of the little league program we have successfully broken down some significant barriers to their independence. The message to these young people is clear: it says you can be a normal participating member of society, and that is precisely the kind of thinking that needs to be created. This is what the Education of the Handicapped Act and the Rehabilitation Act are all about, creating an atmosphere and a world where handicapped children can excel in the classroom and then become young working adults who can fully participate in society. Mr. President the situation in Brockton offers us a valuable lesson and I sincerely commend and thank them for reminding us that physically disadvantaged citizens can be active members of our communities and part of America's mainstream.

SUBJECT: BASEBALL & SOFTBALL (91%); DISABLED PERSONS (90%); YOUTH SPORTS (90%); SPORTS (78%);

Congressional Record -- Senate

Tuesday, September 12, 1989;
(Legislative day of Wednesday, September 6, 1989)

101st Cong. 1st Sess.

135 Cong Rec S 10846

REFERENCE: Vol. 135 No. 115; Proceedings of September 11, 1989, Issue No. 114, and September 12, 1989, Issue No. 115, Are Combined in This Issue.

TITLE: COMMISSIONER A BARTLETT GIAMATTI

SPEAKER: Mr. KERRY

TEXT: [*S10846] Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, last week the baseball world mourned the passing of Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti and my home State of Massachusetts lost an extraordinary native son.

Since Bart Giamatti's youth in the small western Massachusetts town of South Hadley, baseball and his life are connected. From listening to Red Sox radio broadcasts while sitting in cars being repaired at the local service station, to making what he called the once a year pilgrimage to Fenway Park to see his Red Sox in action, he was the consummate fan. And years later, as with many fathers, he too brought his children to Fenway's bleachers to watch a ballgame.

His career included a Woodrow Wilson fellowship at Yale, several professorships of English and comparative literature, serving as president of Yale from 1978-86, president of the National League of Major League Baseball, 1986-89; commissioner of baseball, 1989; and awards and honors too numerous to mention.

As Yale president he would be seen wearing an old Red Sox cap around campus, and as president of the National League, he would be tested as to where his loyalties were during the 1986 World Series between the Red Sox and the Mets. "I think I'll just sit down and be quiet," he said, when asked by Red Sox great Johnny Pesky whom he would be standing up for in the seventh-inning stretch.

Although Bart Giamatti's tenure as commissioner of baseball was very short, he was doing what he wanted to do.

He loved the game and fought to keep its integrity intact. He faced the Pete Rose case squarely, attempting to be as fair as possible.

While history will eventually look back on this man and what he meant to baseball and to the Nation, our thoughts and sympathy today are with the Giamatti family.

A. Bartlett Giamatti once wrote of baseball:

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring when everything else begins again. And blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops.

And leaves you to face the fall alone.

Mr. President, these words not only speak of our national pastime, they speak of life itself.

SUBJECT: SPORTS (92%); BASEBALL & SOFTBALL (92%); MEDIA INDUSTRIES (77%); ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY (77%); RADIO BROADCAST INDUSTRY (77%); BROADCASTING INDUSTRY (72%);

Congressional Record -- Senate

Friday, October 5, 1990;
(Legislative day of Tuesday, October 2, 1990)

101st Cong. 2nd Sess.

136 Cong Rec S 14591

REFERENCE: Vol. 136 No. 129; Continuation of House Proceedings of October 4, 1990, Issue No. 128; and Proceedings of October 5, 1990, Issue No. 129.

TITLE: THE BOSTON RED SOX

SPEAKER: Mr. KERRY

TEXT: [*S14591] Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I want to take some time to say a word about something positive that happened in a State where things have been very difficult lately.

As many people know, Massachusetts is hurting economically. We have had people laid off from countless companies. Banks and the economy has taken a tailspin over the course of the last year and a half. In the midst of all of that, Mr. President, we have a no-quit baseball team. That has made a lot of people feel pretty good, I must say. It really has.

Maybe as we wrestle with the challenge of this budget, as we go through these next painful days, it might be possible to even take example from the Boston Red Sox, from their hanging in at the last moment.

I think that those who watched and take an interest in America's sport, which we know is most people, watched one of the greatest clutch catches that I have seen since Dwight Evans robbed Joe Morgan in the 1975 World Series. We saw a team which kept coming back, even though everybody said they did not have it and did not have a chance.

I think Tom Brunansky's extraordinary catch lifted the hearts of Red Sox fans and people all over New England. I can tell you that from the Berkshires to Cape Cod, from one end of the State to the other, Red Sox fans have been happy to be able to cheer for Roger Clemens and for our own Jeff Riordan from Dalton, MA, and Mike Bodicker, who won the game the other night.

We are particularly proud of Joe Morgan's magic. He said, "It is not magic; it is fundamental and hard work." Perhaps we can use a little of that touch down here over the course of the next few days.

Obviously, they face an awesome team. Most people in the country do not give them many odds to be able to beat the Oakland Athletics. But it is my sense that that special spirit that has carried them thus far is a spirit that can yet persevere.

Perhaps all of us in the Senate here ought to take a little lesson from what the Red Sox have been able to accomplish over the course of this year.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.

The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

SUBJECT: SPORTS (77%); BASEBALL & SOFTBALL (72%);

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