Democratic Roster
Correction Appended
Rep. Michael Arcuri (N.Y.)
Outfield
Elected 2006
Home: Utica
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Arcuri’s got the Hall of Fame in his district, so of course he’s going to play. He went 0-1 in his debut last year, and this year he will once again be in the uniform of the Auburn Doubledays, a minor league baseball team in his district.
Rep. Joe Baca (Calif.)
Pitcher/Infield
Elected 1998
Home: Rialto
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Baca, a former semi-pro ballplayer, has a rubber arm, and will pitch at least part of tonight’s game for the Democratic squad. He’s a pretty fair hitter, too, going 2-3 in last year’s game with two RBIs. As usual, he’ll wear No. 22 in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.
Rep. Brian Baird (Wash.)
Pitcher/Outfield
Elected 1998
Home: Vancouver
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Baird brings a four-game hitting streak to tonight’s contest. The Congressman, who has lived all over the West, will be wearing the jersey of Onalaska High School in Washington tonight.
Rep. Tim Bishop (N.Y.)
Third Base
Elected 2002
Home: Southampton
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Bishop was born in the same town as baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. Bishop knocked in a run last year and proved during his innings at third base that he’s not afraid to get his uniform dirty. He’ll be wearing No. 29 from Stony Brook University this year.
Rep. John Boccieri (Ohio)
Utility
Elected 2008
Home: Alliance
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Democrats’ hopes for breaking their losing streak rest squarely on the shoulders of Boccieri, who went to college on a baseball scholarship. Fittingly, he’ll be wearing No. 5 in the uniform of his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University.
Rep. Bruce Braley (Iowa)
Outfield/First Base
Elected 2006
Home: Waterloo
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Braley, a versatile man with the glove, is looking for his first hit in the Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. He’ll be wearing No. 2 in the uniform of the Anamosa High School Blue Raiders. Anamosa is known as the pumpkin capital of Iowa.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio)
Outfield
Elected 2006
Home: Lorain
Hits L | Throws L | Votes L
Brown, the lone Senator on the team and a mainstay since he joined the House in 1993, had two hits and scored two runs last year. He’ll be wearing the uniform of the Lake Erie Crushers, an independent minor league team that plays in Avon, Ohio.
Rep. Russ Carnahan (Mo.)
Utility
Elected 2004
Home: St. Louis
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Carnahan, a political scion, has been mainly used in pinch-hitting and pinch-running roles since joining the team in 2005. He’s one of two St. Louis-area Members to wear the uniform of the home team Cardinals.
Rep. Christopher Carney (Pa.)
Utility
Elected 2006
Home: Dimock
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Carney is 0-1 in the series so far, His district hosts the Little League World Series every year, and he’ll be wearing No. 10 in the uniform of the Williamsport Crosscutters, a Class A minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rep. Ben Chandler (Ky.)
Infield
Elected 2004
Home: Versailles
Hits S | Throws R | Votes S
The grandson of former Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler, the Congressman is a useful, versatile infielder. Even though his district includes the University of Kentucky, Chandler will once again be wearing the uniform of Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky.
Rep. William Lacy Clay (Mo.)
First Base/Outfield
Elected 2000
Home: St. Louis
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Clay scored a run last year in a pinch-hitting role. He wears No. 1 in a St. Louis Cardinals jersey, a number that once belonged to Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith.
Rep. Joe Donnelly (Ind.)
Center Field
Elected 2006
Home: Granger
Hits R | Throws L | Votes S
Donnelly has patrolled center field and played first base in his first two games, and he’ll probably fill the same role for skipper Mike Doyle this year. He’ll once again wear No. 28 from Elkhart Central High School.
Rep. Steve Driehaus (Ohio)
Second Base
Elected 2008
Home: Cincinnati
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Driehaus, making his debut in the Congressional game, is a tough political operator, and it will be interesting to see if he brings the same grit to the field. He’ll be wearing the uniform of his alma mater, Elder High School in Cincinnati.
Rep. Mike Doyle (Pa.)
Manager
Elected 1994
Home: Swissvale
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Doyle is hoping for his first win as the team manager after providing solid offense during his years as a player. Once again, he’ll be sporting his district number — 14 — in a uniform of the hometown Pittsburgh Pirates.
Rep. Tim Holden (Pa.)
Coach
Elected 1992
Home: St. Clair
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Holden, the team’s former starting catcher, returns to the game as a coach after a two-year hiatus. He’ll be sporting a jersey from the minor league Reading Phillies tonight.
Rep. Jay Inslee (Wash.)
Utility
Elected 1998
Home: Bainbridge Island
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Inslee no doubt would like to repeat his performance from the 2005 game, when he went 3-3 with three RBIs. He likes to wear uniforms from high schools in his district, and this year it’ll be No. 25 from Bothell High.
Rep. Frank Kratovil (Md.)
Shortstop
Elected 2008
Home: Stevensville
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Another promising young Democratic freshman with athletic skills, Kratovil will be wearing No. 1 in a Baltimore Orioles jersey, the same number worn by such current and former O’s greats as Brian Roberts and Al Bumbry.
Rep. Jim Marshall (Ga.)
Infield/Outfield
Elected 2002
Home: Macon
Hits S | Throws R | Votes S
Marshall, a switch hitter, further showed his versatility by starting at shortstop last year after playing left field in 2007 — and both years he was the team’s leadoff hitter. He’ll once again be wearing a Georgia Military College uniform.
Rep. Christopher Murphy (Conn.)
Catcher
Elected 2006
Home: Cheshire
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Murphy’s costly throwing error may have gotten all the attention last year, but it masked an otherwise solid 2-3 performance with an RBI. Once again he’ll be wearing a New Britain Rock Cats uniform, though he’s switched from No. 8 to No. 1.
Rep. Patrick Murphy (Pa.)
Outfield
Elected 2006
Home: Bristol
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Murphy had a great game in 2008, going 4-4 and driving in a run. After wearing a uniform from a local youth club last season, Murphy has elected to move up to the big club and is wearing No. 8 (his district number) in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform.
Rep. Glenn Nye (Va.)
Second Base/Shortstop
Elected 2008
Home: Norfolk
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Another young freshman, Nye, a former Foreign Service officer, will be wearing No. 2 in the uniform of the Norfolk Tides, the AAA minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
Rep. Bill Pascrell (N.J.)
Utility
Elected 1996
Home: Paterson
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Pascrell, who at 72 is the senior member of the Democratic team, rode the pines in 2008 but stands ready to play anywhere, anytime. He’ll once again wear No. 26 in a uniform of his alma mater, Fordham University.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (Colo.)
Utility
Elected 2006
Home: Golden
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
The versatile lawmaker once again will wear No. 25 in the uniform of his alma mater, Jefferson High School.
Rep. Jared Polis (Colo.)
Utility
Elected 2008
Home: Boulder
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Polis, another 30-something freshman, is such a fan that he’s occasionally been spotted bringing his mitt to Colorado Rockies games. So it’s fitting that he’ll be wearing a Rockies uniform — sporting No. 45 — in tonight’s game.
Rep. Linda Sánchez (Calif.)
Designated Hitter
Elected 2002
Home: Lakewood
Hits S | Throws R | Votes L
Having just given birth to her first child, Sánchez isn’t expected to play tonight. But she’s proved to be a very effective and scrappy hitter, and year after year she wears No. IX in a Long Beach State University uniform — a tribute to the Title IX case involving equality in sports.
Rep. Mark Schauer (Mich.)
Center Field
Elected 2008
Home: Battle Creek
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Another freshman making his debut tonight, Schauer will be wearing the uniform of the Grand Ledge High School Comets, a team in a town known to attract rock climbers.
Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.)
Designated Hitter
Elected 2006
Home: Waynesville
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Shuler, a former college football standout and NFL first-round draft pick, continues to tantalize Democrats with his potential as a hitter — which hasn’t been realized yet. He’ll once again wear No. 21 in a Western Carolina University uniform.
Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.)
Second Base/Pitcher
Elected 1996
Home: Tacoma
Hits L | Throws R | Votes L
Smith is probably still trying to forget his nightmarish game in 2007, when he committed five errors at shortstop. But every year, he’s one of the Democrats’ most reliable hitters, and last year he knocked in two runs. He’ll wear a University of Washington uniform tonight.
Rep. Bart Stupak (Mich.)
Pitcher/First Base
Elected 1992
Home: Menominee
Hits R | Throws R | Votes S
Stupak was on the mound when the Democrats lost in the final inning last year, but he had a much more noteworthy game offensively, going 1-2 and scoring two runs. He’ll once again wear No. 15 in a uniform from the Menominee American Legion Post No. 146.
Rep. Anthony Weiner (N.Y.)
Outfield
Elected 1998
Home: Forest Hills
Hits R | Throws R | Votes L
Weiner remains one of the team’s most enthusiastic players, displaying speed on the base paths and a defensive fearlessness in the outfield. He’ll wear No. 9 from his hometown team, the New York Mets.
Correction: June 17, 2009
The rosters incorrectly listed the hometown of Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) and the uniform he was wearing at the game. He lives in Vancouver and was sporting the uniform of Onalaska High School in Washington state.
The program also incorrectly listed the uniform worn by Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Ky.). He represented Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., on the diamond.
