NY Times' Healy, USA Today advanced myth that Clinton switched baseball allegiances
In an October 26 New York Times article, staff writer Patrick Healy reported that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) "took a rare shot at an old New York rival and current Republican presidential candidate, Rudolph W. Giuliani, for saying he would root for the [Boston] Red Sox [against the Colorado Rockies] in the World Series." Healy was referring to Giuliani's recent statement that he will "root[] for the Red Sox" -- longtime rivals of the New York Yankees -- despite being a longtime Yankees fan. Healy continued: "Giuliani, a Yankees fan, has mocked Mrs. Clinton over the years for professing allegiance to the Yankees, even though she grew up a Chicago Cubs fan and recently said she would split her loyalty between those teams if they met in the World Series." Similarly, side-by-side photographs of Clinton wearing a Yankees cap in one and a Cubs cap in the other accompanied an October 26 online article on USA Today's website. The caption read: "Hillary Rodham Clinton has said she has split allegiances, rooting for her childhood team, the Cubs, as well as the New York Yankees now that she is a resident and senator of New York." However, the idea that Clinton proclaimed herself a Yankees fan only after she decided to run for a New York Senate seat or that she "switched allegiance" from the Cubs to the Yankees during her Senate campaign is a myth commonly repeated in the media that is not supported by evidence. As Media Matters for America has repeatedly noted, Clinton's 2003 autobiography, Living History (Simon & Schuster), contains a photograph of her wearing a Yankees cap in 1992 -- eight years before she ran for the Senate. Further, The Washington Post reported on September 12, 1994, that "Mrs. Clinton ... as a kid was a 'big-time' fan of the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees and 'understudied' Ernie Banks and Mickey Mantle."
Below are the photographs and caption from the October 26 USA Today online article, headlined "Baseball bosses play on political field":
Hillary Rodham Clinton has said she has split allegiances, rooting for her childhood team, the Cubs, as well as the New York Yankees now that she is a resident and senator of New York.
This is getting so old.
Hmmm. Look what I found. The photo caption to the 1994 WaPo article that MM cites says this:
D'oh! See for yourself. "The White House Pitches In," WaPo, 9/12/1994.
This observation is not worth the disk space nor bandwidth. I doubt that a single vote hinges on this matter.
Well America elected a moron in 2000 and 2004, so why would America now change? Would America elect a President based on baseball?
Whatever HRC's critics claim she did it's Giuliani who should be ashamed of himself.
No Yankees fan ever roots for the Red Sox.
Never ever!!
If he thinks the booing was bad during this year's playoff series wait until he shows his face at the stadium next year.
No Yankees fan ever roots for the Red Sox. Never ever!!
We finally agree on something Johnny ;-)
As far as whether Hillary is a lifelong Cubs & Yankee fan, why would anyone care? I can't believe anyone is still yakking about this.
Jeter we do not want Rudy or any Yankee fan rooting for us.
GO SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know that this is hard for some to believe, but there are people out there who can actively like and cheer for 2 different teams in the same sport. For example, why can't Hillary cheer for the Yankees and the Cubs? One is National League, the other American League, so they seldom, if ever, meet during the regular season (maybe during inter-league play, but I don't think that they would play each other every year). Now, if she were a Chicago White Sox fan AND a NY Yankees fan, there would be some trouble there. 2 AL teams. I say it's more than OK to cheer for an AL team and an NL team, and if the 2 should meet in the World Series, I would expect her to pick one of the 2.
Another example from my own life. My fiance got her undergraduate degree at Duke University, so of course, she is a Duke fan. But, she is currently pursuing her PhD at UNC over in Chapel Hill. She cheers for both teams, unless they are playing each other. When they do play each other, she has to cheer for Duke.
And anyway, does any of this really matter? This is just another story for people to attack Hillary the person, instead of Hillary the candidate, and yes, sometimes the paths do cross. Instead of addressing her issues, and her plans, they talk about cackles, family cats, and how she likes the Yankees. It's silly. On another note, I heard Dick Morris on the Neal Boortz show today, and of course he was talking about how he is going to love it when Hillary is the nominee for Prez so Rudy can wipe the floor with her in a debate. Is he kidding? I know he hates all things Hillary and all, but she is going to own Rudy in a debate, and just about anyone else in the republican field, and this is coming from a non-Hillary fan (GO KUCINICH!).
Mag,
I'm a Yankee fan who used to root for the L.A. Dodgers IF the Yankees didn't get into the series. I was a mere child when they left Brooklyn & I've never stepped foot in L.A.
All this foolishness over Hillary's allegiances to two baseball clubs is a great BUT sad example of how petty politics has become.
True, true Jeter that this is most of what the game has become for politics coverage in the US. I hear some of the candidates talking about their positions, and their plans, but by and far the coverage of the candidates seem to center on these little niggling things that don't matter to, or I should say shouldn't matter to, well, anyone at all.
I'd even be willing to vote for a Yankees fan if they were the right person for the office. Sorry, lifelong Red Sox fan here. Grew up in Maine, and only recently moved to the South. The only 2 times I ever saw my Dad cry was in 1986 when Buckner let that ball go through his legs, and 2004 when they won the series.
I won't hold it against you too much that you're a Yankees fan, I've lived away from New England for awhile now, so the passion and or hatred I've felt about the Yankees has calemd down some in the last 8 years.
Excellent point, Magnolia. You'd think that these "Media Professionals" would understand this, but...who am I kidding? The fact that this is even a story demonstrates how corrupt and lazy our press corps has become.
During the regular season, I root for the Atlanta Braves. Once they were out of the running, I defaulted to my second favorite team, the Red Sox. If the Red Sox had lost in the playoffs, I probably would have rooted for the Indians. This seems normal to me...maybe it's different if you actually live in a town that has a team. But really, who cares?
At a time when we are fighting two wars and may enter into another, I am glad the New York Times is on top of this story about baseball allegiances.
To be fair, it was a story about HRC's birthday bash which netted her campaign $1.5 million.
She made the remarks about Giuliani there.
So, I wonder what story of the latest felony the Republicans were perpetrating was bumped for this "riveting" story ...
Well, there is the fact that Oil prices are hitting record highs almost daily. Lately, it's driven by speculation that we're going to bomb Iran. Hmmm. Greg Palast wrote a column some time back speculating that the Iraq war was all about ratcheting up oil prices. One has to wonder, who is benefitting most from the higher prices, and who in our government has reltationships with them? Interesting, to say the least.
Like.....Who cares? Lots of people root for different teams. Take me for example, as a long time (and I do mean LONG) supporter of THE CLEVELAND INDIANS, I always have to have a team in reserve. What does this have to do with anything she would do as President? Why does anyone care!!??
Either Patrick Healy from the NYT is lying, or the Washington Post lied in '94 about Hillary's team preference during her childhood.