With her move to the State Department, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened up a Senate seat from New York, and according to some superstitious baseball fans, she also may have opened up chances for the New York Yankees to clinch the title of World Series champs.
The reason?
It’s a little something called “The Carpetbagger Curse.”
Just before Clinton (called a carpetbagger for her Illinois and Arkansas roots) was elected to the Senate in New York, the Yankees won the World Series, but the New York team hasn’t won since. This wouldn’t be significant for sports fans except that a similar situation occurred during Robert Kennedy‘s Senate tenure. A carpetbagger comes in, and no more Yankees championship wins. In the Kennedy case, the Yankees didn’t make it to the postseason again until 1976.
Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist and diehard Yankees fan, said he hoped this time the curse would be vanquished a little sooner.
“New York Republicans and Yankees fans have that dark cloud of Hillary Clinton removed,” he told Yeas &Nays, predicting the Yankees would win in five games.
“I think it would be very helpful if President Obama were to send Secretary Clinton for a quick diplomatic mission to Philadelphia for the next few weeks,” he added.
And on Capitol Hill, there’s more than just New York pride on the line, there’s food too. Clinton’s replacement, Kirsten Gillibrand, and fellow New York Sen. Chuck Schumer decided to bet Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and Arlen Specter some Junior’s cheesecakes on a Yankees win. The Pennsylvania senators will have to supply Philadelphia cheesesteaks to Schumer and Gillibrand if the Carpetbagger Curse has indeed been lifted.
No word on whether the senators actually believe in the curse, but the trash talking has certainly begun.
“If the Phillies keep up their extraordinary efforts at the plate, on the mound and in the field, it is only a matter of time until Sen. Specter and I are able to enjoy some delicious cheesecake,” Casey boasted in a statement officially announcing the challenge.
“I give Sens. Specter and Casey credit for sticking with their team, but I can already taste those delicious Philly cheesesteaks,” Schumer gloated in turn.
And even if the curse strikes again, Madden said the conditions of the bet didn’t sound too bad.
“As a fan of both, you can’t lose,” he said.
