Dana Milbank The Washington Post

March 2, 2010

Dana Milbank
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071

RE: The infield fly rule, ½ game lead, and “a can of corn” – What the traditions of baseball have to do with the traditions of the Senate.

Mr. Milbank,

I couldn’t finish your article about Senator Bunning. The reason is simple. I couldn’t get past your first paragraph. The reason I couldn’t get past your first paragraph is that you chose to share your ignorance of baseball with us.

Jacques Barzun, a man with an astonishing CV but going from first to third on a Texas league dying quail probably wasn’t one of them, said, “If you don’t know baseball you don’t know America”.

If, as you say, Senator Bunning had a “graceful curveball” he wouldn’t have lasted 17 innings in the big leagues let alone 17 years. There is nothing particularly graceful when a ball falls off the edge of a table. Curveballs, sinkers. sliders, split finger, they have one thing in common. If they “hang”, if they fall into the “graceful” category, they are last seen gaining speed and altitude when they bang off the roof facade.

As to the rest of your article…Who knows? Who cares?

I have seen the video of the incident. Had I been his pitching coach the next sign I would have given him would have called for some “chin music” as Sal the Barber used to say. The first time you crowded the plate against Bob Gibson you would have had to change your pants. Against Drysdale you would have batted behind the umpire.

As for you, a Washington truism applies.

Once a smarmy bastard always a smarmy bastard.

Kevin Smith

PS – I am glad your picture was with the article. I always thought you were some sappy broad.