H
THE PRESIDENTIAL FANTASY LEAGUE: WEEK FIVE SCORES
Getty Images
To clarify, I said watershed moment, not waterbed moment.
Where the avenues of sports and politics meet, there is a mailbox where we deposit a weekly letter; a mailbox called the Presidential Fantasy League.
For most of April, Barack had been driving the bus on this whole PFL thing. Then, last week, Team Clinton had one of its strongest showings yet. Alas, the same night we last updated the scores, Hillary the candidate (not the fictional fantasy team leader) couldn't pull out a miracle "Basketball Primary" in North Carolina. Even though her chances in the real election have been severely dimmed, she lives to fight on for PFL glory. Here is your roundup of all things wannabe-presidential and sporty.
TEAM CLINTON
She's off to Oregon, South Dakota and West Virginia in a last ditch effort for delegates. While the candidate mulls over a possible exit strategy you can count on Team Clinton making noise while they still can.
CLIP OF THE WEEK: CLINGING TO THE ROCKY METAPHOR TILL THE VERY END: +10
This video and accompanying Austin American-Statesman's "Window on Washington" article nails the sports connections to Hillary's performance in Indiana and North Carolina: "[In Indiana] Clinton has the backing of Mel and Herb Simon, the brothers who co-own the Indiana Pacers ... [In North Carolina] Clinton is backed by Bob Johnson, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats ... Clinton has repeatedly compared her underdog campaign to the 'Milan miracle,' a reference to the high school team from the small town of Milan, Ind., whose legendary state championship season was portrayed in the popular movie Hoosiers."
ALONZO ISN'T GIVING UP EITHER: +10
The Miami Herald's Florida Sports Buzz reports: "Several associates now fully expect Alonzo Mourning to play next season, barring a health issue. Random Zo factoid: According to opensecrets.org, he is the only local pro team member who contributed to a presidential candidate."
SPORTS ANALOGY OF THE WEEK: +5
Another case of a journalist using a PFL'er as a proxy for a candidate. This one kind of makes Hillary seem over-the-hill, but bad press is still press, right?: "Could competing against Mrs. Clinton have improved Mr. Obama as a candidate in the same way that competing against Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the 1980s made Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan champions in the 1990s?"
OTHER PLAYS: +10
+5, Hillary and Magic mentioned together in theAsian Tribune
+5, another reference in the South China Daily Post, May 10, 2008
TOTAL THIS WEEK: +45
TEAM OBAMA
Team Obama's lead in the PFL seems insurmountable at this point (Like his delegate lead!). More important, check out what he and announcer Ernie Johnson have in common.
ANONYMOUS PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE POLL OF THE WEEK: +10
Golf.com conducted its annual survey of PGA Tour players where the website polled 72 pros who were guaranteed anonymity. One of the questions was:
If forced at gunpoint to vote for the Democratic presidential candidate, whom would you choose?
The answer: Barack Obama: 53%; Hillary Clinton: 16%; I'd take the bullet: 31%. Ah, rich people.
PFL SUBTEXT OF THE WEEK: +10
More campaign excerpts from the Austin American-Statesman:
"In Indiana, Obama has the endorsement of Portland Trail Blazer star Greg Oden, a onetime Mr. Basketball in the Hoosier state ... In North Carolina, Obama is supported by former Duke stars Shane Battier and Grant Hill, both stars in the National Basketball Association ... [Obama] has invoked basketball legend Michael Jordan, a college star in North Carolina before moving to the NBA and Chicago, whose media market serves the northwest part of Indiana."
SPORTS ANALOGY METAPHOR OF THE WEEK: +10
Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune last week devoted a whole column to how the lingering Hillary/Barack battle is best described in sports metaphors ("Of Primaries and Sports Metaphors"). He rejected this baseball metaphor supplied by a reader: " How would you feel if the Cincinnati Reds refused to play the Cubs in the ninth just because the Reds were ahead 4 to 3 in the bottom of the eighth?" in favor of this basketball metaphor: "The Bulls (Illinois) are leading the Knicks (New York) by 15 with a minute left in game 7 of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals. But rather than gracefully allowing time to expire, the Knicks are committing hard fouls, hoping for a miracle."
INTERESTING POINT ABOUT ATHLETE ENDORSEMENT THAT PERTAINS TO THIS ELECTION: +10
It has been said that Barack will have trouble winning over the white working-class vote, but John Seiler Blogs (May 8th, 2008) said this:
"Another factor is that white working-class guys nowadays spend a great deal of time watching, even worshipping, pro players in the NFL (more than 60% black) and NBA (more than 90% black). Ever hear of Michael Jordan? I think Obama will do exceedingly well among the working class."
THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PFL BUT ERNIE JOHNSON IS BEING REFERRED TO AS A "SPORTS EDITION OF BARACK OBAMA"
From the Sacramento Bee: "He received two Emmys because he is bright and prepared, because he ad-libs like a sports edition of Barack Obama and because he's the same person who, in the early days, arrived on the set wearing funky leisure suits and welder's glasses."
OTHER PLAYS: +5
+5, Barack and Jordan mentioned in The Indianapolis Star, May 6, 2008.
Managerial Note: Don King has been replaced on the roster by reserve Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
TOTAL THIS WEEK: +45
TEAM McCAIN
McCain had a huge fundraising week, thanks to Jets owner/wealthy guy Woody Johnson. Team McCain also saw some action from a former PFL wife.
INTERESTING PFL SUBTEXT: +10
Jerry Colangelo (a team McCain star) was instrumental in trading Stephon Marbury (an Obama PFL'er) from the Suns to the Knicks in 2004. Now Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni is leaving Phoenix for the New York even if it means he'll have to coach ... Marbury! a player who he has had problems with in the past.
LOYALTY RUNS DEEP: +10
Even though Team McCain player Lute Olson recently divorced his wife Christine Olson, she continues to support McCain and "plans to raise money for him." The Federal Election Commission records say that since 1997 she's given at least $576,000 to Republican candidates.
PLAY OF THE WEEK: +30
Woody Johnson came through on the New York City fundraiser he hosted, which raised $7M for McCain's campaign last week. It was mentioned in seven major
outlets:
+5, New York Times
+5, New York Post
+5, Washington Post
+5, Sports Business Daily
+ 5, ABC News
+5, CBS News
OTHER PLAYS: +5
+5, McCain and Stallone mentioned together.
TOTAL THIS WEEK: +55
SCORES AFTER WEEK FIVE
1. Team Barack: 310
2. Team McCain: 245
3. Team Hillary: 216
Got an issue with the way we're sizing up the candidates? Something we missed? Got an idea for the rules? Send us your thoughts: editor.espnmag@gmail.com
Print Article . Email Article. Subscribe to The Magazine
- Reilly: Rocco didn't beat Tiger, but you'd think he did
- Simmons: It's hard to say goodbye to David Ortiz
- Blowing $66,000 on a College World Series game ... yeah, that qualifies as a meltdown.
- Racing needs to find a way to let drivers attempt to win both Indy and in Charlotte on the same day.
- The Gamer: Mike Swick and Rampage Jackson are avid gamers
- Bill Curry brings Georgia State football to life.
- VIDEO: Kobe Bryant's two loves
- VIDEO: Dana White's life on the edge
- VIDEO: Superman Dwight -- stylin' and profilin'
- VIDEO: Ricky Rubio, on the verge of superstardom
editor.espnmag@gmail.com
Billing or subscription issues? Call 888-267-3684.
Go here for change of address.
