BASEBALL, BALLOTS AND OUR AMERICAN COMMON GROUND ⚾🇺🇸 It’s not over until the fat one sings!
Seventy years ago, on October 8, 1956, New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen made baseball history by throwing the only perfect game in World Series history. In 97 pitches, Larsen retired all 27 Brooklyn Dodgers batters, with his friend and catcher, Yogi Berra, there to share the unforgettable moment.
Larsen and Berra are no longer with us, but American Democracy must live forever. It’s not over until the fat one sings and cries out uncle!
Baseball is America's pastime and it truly is magic. It brings people together across generations, backgrounds and political differences. For a few hours, we share the same field, the same rules and the same possibility of witnessing something extraordinary.
Yogi Berra was behind the plate that day, and both men are gone now. The game they shared still belongs to all of us. Fans from every neighborhood and every political persuasion stood together in the same ballpark, played by the same rules, and watched something extraordinary.
Democracy works the same way: shared rules, a shared field, and a final score that belongs to everyone who shows up.
Strike one: Know your rules. Check your registration and your deadlines at Vote.gov.
Strike two: Scout the lineup. Before you vote, get clear, nonpartisan facts on candidates and ballot measures at Vote411.org. A voter deserves a scouting report as good as a fan gets on a pitcher.
Strike three: Show up. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Vote early if you can, as you would for any game you didn’t want to miss.
We won’t agree on every call, but we can still share the field. Baseball taught us that rivals can compete hard and shake hands after.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Step up to the plate!
What if we brought that similar American spirit to our democracy?
When voters face ballot proposals, they deserve clear, factual and understandable explanations of what each measure would do, how it would affect their communities, and what the potential consequences might be.
Think of it as pitching an idea to the public. Present the facts, explain the alternatives, answer the tough questions and give people the information they need to make up their own minds.
We don't have to agree on every issue to find common ground. We need fair rules, honest information and a willingness to listen.
In baseball, the players compete, but they share the field. In a democracy, we can disagree without becoming enemies.
Let's bring back the spirit of the game: fair play, informed choices and a country where we still have something in common.
Larsen and Berra are no longer with us, but American Democracy must live forever. It’s not over until the fat one sings and cries out uncle!
Because baseball is magic, democracy is a shared responsibility, and the final score belongs to each and everyone of US