Amherst College beat Williams College in 26 innings, 73-32, in 1859, in the first inter-collegiate baseball game, played at North St. and Maplewood Ave. in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Hard to explain a baseball score like that without insulting the many alumni of Williams and Amherst, three of whom currently serve in the House of Representatives. Chris Murphy, D, CT, and Mark Udall, D, CO (Williams), and Tom Davis III, R, VA (Amherst) teamed up with John Olver D, MA 1st CD representing all of these historic towns in Western Massachusetts in March, 2008 to
"introduce a bill to recognize Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as being home to the earliest known reference to the word "baseball" in the United States as well as being the birthplace of college baseball. ...The resolution was introduced with 26 original co-sponsors, including the members of the Massachusetts delegation and graduates of Amherst and Williams Colleges. It will now move to the House Committee on Education and Labor for review." according to a press release from Congressman Olver's office dated March 14, 2008.
Olver has a PhD in chemistry from M.I.T., and was previously a chemistry professor at UMass. He is currently co-chair of the House Climate Change Caucus, which is how I stumbled over his baseball bill and couldn't resist getting your attention with that score.
More importantly, Olver sits on two sub-committees of the House Appropriations Committee, chairing "the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related agencies. This panel has jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Aviation, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak. The Subcommittee also is responsible for the annual budgets of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. ...In 2007 John Olver was named to the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. This panel has jurisdiction over the Department of Energy, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, among other agencies." from Olver's official website.
The House Appropriations sub-committees were re-organized to make more sense with the change in leadership in 2007. It's educational to understand how committees are organized, especially the powerful Appropriations Committee.
So, I'm throwing out a pitch to consider John Olver as a key player in the next administration's team on Climate Change, based on being a scientist with deep knowledge of how all of the related Federal agencies function, and how they are funded. Based on how hard it is to get a baseball resolution passed in the House, a man of patience. Based on the quality of roads and bridges in Olver's district, a man of action. Thank you Congressman Olver for Routes 116 and 9 up here in the Hilltowns!
A+ from middleclass.org for 2008, up from A.
Age: 72, representing MACD1 since 1991.
Uncommitted super-delegate, along with Mark Udall. Chris Murphy is pledged to Obama.
Hey, it's April!
Comments are closed for this post.
