A Tainted Season

Not even The World Series is immune to the filth of modern politics. It wasn't enough that the ceremonial opening pitch turned out to be an advertisement for the Obama administration -- minus the president, of course, because the last time he threw out an opening pitch -- St. Louis, wasn't it? -- he looked so ridiculously effeminate that his handlers barred him from doing so.

So they got his much more masculine looking wife into the act, pimping a noticeably disabled Veteran for an emotional hook. Undoubtedly this was some young geniuses strategy to shore up those plummeting approval ratings, to convince Americans that the president and his administration really are Americans, too. Because you sure wouldn't be able to tell by his actions.

Even CBS radio had talking points. Baseball is a sport for statistics junkies, but what of this non-sequitir: "The Yankees haven't won a world series with a republican in the white house since Grover Cleveland..."?

So inherently innocent and pure is Baseball that, when something dirty is done that involves it, it cannot pass unnoticed. And we felt pretty muddied up after wading through the political cesspool that was the opening of the 2009 World Series. Put an asterisk next to this one in the history books.

At least the Yankees remain a first class operation, looking better than ever.