As an obsessed Red Sox fan, I of course think Senator Chris Dodd’s attempt to pick up donors (and voters) by holding a raffle for a ticket to Game 6 of the ALCS at Fenway is borderline genius. But even discounting for bias, the scheme is very clever. After all, the Connecticut senator’s best (and probably only) chance to have an impact in the Democratic primaries is to shock the world (or at least out-perform expections) in New Hampshire. And as everyone knows, New Hampshirites, like nearly all the wise people of New England, are fanatically devoted to the Red Sox, as well they should be. So, for a mere $20.04 minimum contribution to Dodd’s campaign (in honor of 2004, the year the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino to win the World Series), Sox fans get a chance to join Dodd at Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against Cleveland (Game 1 is tomorrow night). If Boston wins the series before there’s a game six, the lucky winner gets to go to a World Series game.
That’s a sweet deal — not least because, of all the candidates, Dodd is undoubtedly the one who’d be the most fun to join at a baseball game. He’s also a genuine Sox fan.
In 2004, John Kerry hoped the Red Sox’s magical run was an omen, that it would convey, like pixie dust, over to him. But it didn’t. The Sox won, Kerry didn’t. Dodd is more practical. He’s monetizing his fandom. Like I said, genius.
UPDATE: As “Sox Rule” correctly notes, Game 1 of the Red Sox-Indians ALCS is FRIDAY, not tomorrow. Sox Rule is wrong, however, to attribute the error to faux fandom. I’ve simply been wishing the hours away until gametime and got ahead of myself. Manny’s walk-off blast in Game 2 against the Angels was so gloriously reminiscent of 2004 that the excitement is getting the better of me. Now, if only DiceK could find the strike zone. Smart move by Tito to go with Schill in Game 2 against Cleveland.
UPDATE 2: “Ed Muskie” says that if only I’d picked up the paper or utilized our overpriced subscription to the Hotline, I’d have known that Dodd was pulling out of NH and pinning his hopes on Iowa. But why read the newspaper when I can get the facts from commenters posing as politicians who died more than a decade ago? “Ed” is right; Dodd has “relocated” some of his staff resources to Iowa for a push there. But is Dodd, a New Englander, bailing on New Hampshire? NO! says Dodd’s senior campaign adviser, Jim Jordan. “New Hampshire is a natural geographic base for us, and we’ll be spending time, money, staff resources there,” Jordan says. “But two other things are true. What happens in Iowa will affect what happens in New Hampshire. And with the scores of millions of dollars and hundreds and hundreds of staffers other campaigns are throwing into Iowa, we simply had to strategically reorient several staffers there.”
There you have it.