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If You Never Played Baseball, Don’t Use the Analogy

New rule–if you are an Obama political appointee you may not use a sports metaphor unless you played the damn sport. OMB Director, Peter Orszag, got caught today talking about something he did not understand:

President Obama’s budget director told CNN’s John King the spending bill before Congress right now is “uglier than we’d like,” but insisted the administration had little power to change it — and little choice but to support it, to preserve funding for key White House priorities.

“This is like your relief pitcher coming into the ninth inning, and wanting to redo the whole game,” said Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag on State of the Union Sunday. “Next year we’re going to be the starting pitcher, and the game’s going to be completely different.”

Let’s face it. Peter Orszag probably did not even play t-ball. He was the uber geek in school that was chosen last unless it was an opening for the chess team. Peter, apart from the fact that you have a serious testosterone deficit and your voice sounds like Mickey Mouse, you clearly don’t know dick about baseball. While I did not play professional ball, I know quite a bit. In the year before starting high school I was one of the catchers for Rick Sutcliffe, who subsequently pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.

Listen to this patent nonsense from Orszag.

Okay Peter, here is the deal. Baseball games normally last nine ininings but can be extended to extra innings if the two teams are tied at the end of nine. Each team gets three outs per inning. So, to use your analogy, the spending bill before Congress is the equivalent of one team in an extra inning ball game. The normal time for the game (i.e., the last session of Congress) expired. Since a final bill was not passed and sent to the President to sign, the damn game is still on!! Nobody has changed any rules. In fact, once Congress acts your ridiculous excuse for a leader gets to play his legal, constitutional role. It is called a veto and your President’s chances of prevailing are excellent because you control the Congress. Are you really this stupid?

A good relief pitcher can come into a game with the bases loaded and no outs and can strike out the side and save the day for his team. Satchel Paige, a great pitcher, understood this. But Barack Obama? He can’t find the mound and is clueless, apparently, to the fact that he can change the day. Barack, you promised to eliminate earmarks and change the culture in Washington. But you now demonstrate by your inaction that your talk is cheap and meaningless. Rather than do what you promised to do you send the infant Orszag out with this lame ass, stupid excuse that you guys are late in a ball game and somehow, cannot do what you are legally and morally empowered to do.

Change we can believe in? No. Bamboozled up the ass? Hell yes!!

  • QueenofHearts

    “Are you really this stupid?”

    Larry, these last six weeks have felt like watching Dumb and Dumber on endless rotation.

    Not sure how that one didn’t make the useless boxed DVD set for the Prime Minister….

  • typical gram cracker

    Sounds like Peter’s balls haven’t dropped yet.

    President Bush refused to sign funding bills put forth by Congress to fund discretionary agency budgets for FY 2009. Because these bills weren’t passed by the end of September 2008, the end of FY 2008, Congress passed and President Bush signed continuing resolution(s?) to provide agencies the bare minimum funding required to continue CURRENT operations.

    What’s so frustrating about the current argument by the Obama administration that the budget being presented to fund the federal government from now through September 2009 is old business is that it is an outright lie. Things have been added since the election and the inauguration – this sounds pretty new to me.

    Moreover, this proposed funding isn’t retroactive. It is spending that will be done on President Obama’s watch. Is he the chief executive or what? It seems that the buck doesn’t stop with him but with Pelosi and Reed, to name only two of the many who have their hands in this pork pie.

  • Seattle Moss

    But you now demonstrate by your inaction that your talk is cheap and meaningless.

    At the liberal church in my neighborhood today which voted for Obama in 70% range along with most of Seattle a very somber mood had taken over the church.
    No more hope and change.Now the realization that they had been hoodwinked and deceived into voting for a leftist. Many of these folks live in big houses and have lots of stocks and old money that is now vanishing before their very eyes.
    I tried to warn them that Obama was bad for business.

    Now it is tooo late for them.

    I’m just shaking my head at the Obamacide

    • andrew191

      My children want to know where we can go to get away from this, a question I would never have asked my parents. I told them that the Obama administration is like a gorilla/shark hybrid, where DO you run to?

      • Seattle Moss

        Andrew,
        You’re on the wrong Island…No escape from the drones and I hear they’re going to cut back ferry service…Just Kidding!

        If you want to escape you have to go up to Coupeville which is the most right wing conservative stronghold in the state.

        The Penn Cove mussels are a real treat!

        • andrew191

          I didn’t know that about Coupeville. Do you think the strong military presense might have something to do the conservative attitude?

          I was actually thinking about someplace back east, McCall Idaho!

          • Seattle Moss

            Andrew,
            As I might have mentioned I was a hard core democrat up until I looked under the rock last year and found a nest of Marxist’s underneath.
            In the 90′s I was thinking of moving to Island county and running for office. I found out that there is a secret society of hard core conservatives that live in the area that live free and are against government. Nice remote area to have those ideals. I guess the military base may have something to do with it also.

            • andrew191

              SM, I have a good freind on this island named Armen Yousoufian. He also was a Democrat until reality jumped up and bit him in the ass. He has now successfully sued Ron Simms and king Co. for multiple infractions of the PDA. The last time I saw him, he was drinking a beer in the beer garden at the King Co. Republican picnic. He’s a terrific and interesting guy. Google him for more info. His political evolution is typical of good hearted businessmen that have learned that running a good business contributes far more to society and themselves, than a bunch of touchy-feely sentiments can.

        • andrew191

          Also, that would be really shellfish of me.

  • andrew191

    I’m beginning to think that Obama’s promise of “hope and change” wasn’t directed toward the U.S., but to our enemies.

  • Kbentleyis

    Larry, you have a strong conviction for doing the right thing. I felt very sad when I read a while back that you were giving BHO the benefit of the doubt and trying to look forward to better times. I never had doubts about BHO. I may be an old gal from NW Indiana, but I have a keen sense that there would be nothing good from this administration.

    All the signs were there. No matter how many warnings went out, they were ignored by the powers that be in this nation–down to our Supreme Court Justices.

    Larry, I put you up there with some of the best thinkers in this nation. You do your homework and not easily fooled by rhetoric.

    For BHO, it’s always been about the money and his hubris. Deception has been the key to this election and media fed it. I can’t help but feel that America is on the brink, but I haven’t a clue of what it might be.

  • indiedogg

    Pee Wee’s Great Adventure….

  • r2d2

    Obama doesn’t want to veto a bill drafted by those Democrats who chose him to be in the WH. Let’s face it. Pelosi and all those superdelegates chose Obama because they knew he would just sign anything coming out of Congress.

  • elise

    Larry, this would be so funny if it were just one person, but the buffoons have taken over. I don’t understand his remarks anymore than I did Joe Biden the other day. “You dance with the one that brung you, and you brung me many years ago so now it’s time to dance. It’s time to dance..” And how about the Obama spokesperson who said, “He’s just in over his head” or the equivalent in response to the British outrage over the treatment of the Browns. It’s a laugh a minute.

    • mountainaires

      Elise, you’ve captured their stooge act perfectly!

      :-)

      Larry, thanks as always for your honesty and your authentic reactions to the Obama team’s gross buffoonery.

  • lark

    Last week was bad, and worse than the week before and so on. Lets see how bad this week gets. Is getting dreadful. Honestly after the comment that the war in Afghanistan is being lost and about appeasing the intractable Talibans, I have little hope this week will be any better. He is willfully attempting against the security and independence of our country. If he doesn’t defend the oil trade that keeps our country productive and free, then we will succumb. If the Taliban ever wins the day, oil will skyrocket to 200 a barrel or more and gold will hit 2000.

  • ford

    The men BO picked have been on display, and they all look like they are on some game show…think Jeopardy. There has been no cohesive plan yet to emerge on the financial crisis.
    The distraction of class warfare, taxes and health care have made me rip my hair out.
    Today will be a terrible day on Wall ST. I think could lose 400+ TODAY.
    Mr. Obama are you listening, or is there a party at the WH tonight with $100 dollar a pound steak?

  • termo

    LOL. I saw that riff by Orzak and also was confused by the analogy to baseball.

    If you are going to make any kind of analogy whether it is sports related or an Aunt Tilly story, make sure it is indisputable otherwise it exposes the fact that you don’t know what you are talking about. which you rightly pointed out is Orzak’s problem.

    However, consider this. Does Orzak believe in what he is saying or is he desperately trying, as others are, to cover for a hopelessly incompetent boss?

    I was more b-ball than baseball, but I do know that catcher is without question the most underrated and toughest position on the field – and one that I always stayed clear of:)

  • Sassy

    Well, as a female, I did not play baseball, but I spent years on the slow-pitch softball field.
    Put BO on the mound, and send in his useless infielders, and forget about the outfield.
    The opposing team could put every pitch over the fence!

  • armchairpunter

    I won’t try to weave it with any precision into your revised baseball metaphor, but one ought not lose sight of the fact that Obama featured in this game in some capacity (pinch hitter? left fielder?) before called into relief pitching duty. He has more ownership of the score and the men on base than a typical relief pitcher fresh from the bullpen.

  • AngryWhitePerson

    In baseball, if a “relief pitcher” came into the game IN THE NINTH INNING, that would mean the starting pitcher was doing pretty damn well. Why the hell would the relief pitcher want to change the game at that point?

    Most starters are pulled nowadays after 125 pitches at most, some at 100, and a lot don’t even last seven innings any more. Did this guy ever watch baseball, and I mean sometime in the last decade? Many relief pitchers are specialists or situational pitchers, too, coming in for a specific batter, leftie versus rightie for example. A relief pitcher, however, who comes into the game in the ninth is usually the highly prized CLOSER. They are paid millions of dollars to get three outs and are not usually used if the game is a blowout.

    • MrX

      Yeah, if you’re only replacing your pitcher in the 9th, that guy kicked ass. Your team should be in good shape. But noooo, Obama wants to blame everyone else. See, he doesn’t ever consider that he’s blaming his own team because he’s a team of THAT ONE! There is no one else but him.

  • Doc99

    Mariano Rivera failed to close out the 2001 World Series. Sometimes, the closer takes the loss.

    • AngryWhitePerson

      The closer takes the loss if he gives up runs. Not if he came into the game with his team already losing.

  • (trying to get over it)

    john king aptly caught orszag by saying:

    wait, if obama is happily reversing lots of other things “he inherited” – stem cell, gitmo, etc. – stop pretending you guys can’t address “old” business.

  • barry bums a ciggie

    Is it me, or does this guy look like that kid in the Simpsons…the geek with the glasses, Milhouse. This genius, on Cavuto, also says that America being in debt is a good thing.

  • socalannie

    Whole family enjoyed the baseball analogy! Larry, you have such a way with words! I stood next to Rick Sutcliffe once at Dodger Stadium (I think it was the 80′s); he was huge…like 6’6″ or something.

  • TeakwoodKite

    Nothing like the sound and feel of real heat as it hits the mitt.

    Mr. Johnson, some where in there I could not escape the image of Charlie Brown on the mound getting suckered by Lucy.

    Once again he stairs at the sky flat on his back, (he being BO) from the ball whizzing by his head.

    As with shovels, it is so with baseballs. If you keep throwing balls, people will start walking.
    BO do you know “Who’s on first?”

  • Ferd Berfle

    How about addressing the issues Larry raised, troll? Oh, you have no cogent response. Typical

  • Donna Brazile

    Slimmy:

    And all you could catch was a cold you didn’t mean too!

    Stop the lovefest!

  • Ferd Berfle

    So this is the sum total of your contribution to the thread. It is no wonder you bots voted for That One in droves. You have no clue about anything but that which the voices in your head are dictating to you. You need to unplug yourself from the collective and pronto.

  • termo

    I saw the interview and thought at the moment that the baseball metaphor was not well done, so Larry’s point is well taken.

    It also points out just how far the people who have chosen to join Obama have had to cover his lack of knowledge and inexperience.

    As far middle school baseball, there is not a whole lot of difference between being a catcher to Rick Sutcliffe in 8th grade or 12th grade – it’s gonna hurt. Try doing it yourself bozo.

  • Slim Tyranny

    good one!

  • Slim Tyranny

    I know my contribution pales in comparison to Larry’s catching contribution to the world of middle school baseball, but I do what I can.

    I love how you talk about a collective — in a comment defending a patently ridiculous attack on a “nerd” by someone using 8th grade sports as their weapon of choice. Perhaps you need to do some unplugging yourself.

  • Donna Brazile

    Slimmy:

    If you want to prevent a cold in the future, dress appropriately and quit dissin’ middle school sport participation. You’ve just insulted over 1,000,000 people.

    Stop the lovefest!

  • Ferd Berfle

    I know my contribution pales in comparison to Larry’s catching contribution to the world of middle school baseball, but I do what I can.

    You still haven’t responded to this, little turd:

    Since a final bill was not passed and sent to the President to sign, the damn game is still on!! Nobody has changed any rules. In fact, once Congress acts your ridiculous excuse for a leader gets to play his legal, constitutional role. It is called a veto and your President’s chances of prevailing are excellent because you control the Congress. Are you really this stupid?

    Like all good obamabots, you selectively leave out the meat of a query and resort to irrelevant non-sequiturs to avoid actually having to answer for your own reckless choices.

    Are you really this stupid, Slum Tyranny (Skinny Malinky, or whatever obamabotHQ-supplied moniker you’re using today)?

  • Ferd Berfle

    Hey, I love middle school sports (having played them myself)

    Tiddly-winks and circle-jerks do not constitute organized middle-school sports, half-wit.

  • termo

    I did not play compeitive baseball at any level other than Little league, but I did play Div. III college b-ball, so I do know something about playing competitive sports.

    You obviously have not played sports from your response because it was ignorant as Orzak’s and not worse the bits on the site.

  • QueenofHearts

    Yes. I am impressed with everything about Larry, you asswipe. You, however…..I am wondering if you even have an eighth grade education. Your level of intelligent discourse (as in, it’s nonexistent), your inability to answer even the simplest question even though Ferd nicely repeats it since you don’t grasp things the first time you hear them (the SATs are going to be very hard for you – better start prepping now), and your schoolyard nonny-nonny-nonny drivel lead me to believe you are the product of the Annenberg Challenge, still trying to make it out of junior high.

    Jackass.

  • Ferd Berfle

    Wow, such creative re-imagining of my name

    You’ve been here before, Skinny Malinky. Now that you’ve gotten your $0.05 per post (times approximately 6 posts = $0.30) , you can take your proceeds to that Skid-Row liquor store and buy that bottle of Night Train for which you’ve been jonesin’ all morning. Kindly purchase it, place it in that brown bag you carry around with you, and return to your street-corner preaching, which is definitely your calling in life.

  • Ferd Berfle

    No anger here. As a matter of fact, your posts only confirm what I’ve known all along. Your obamabots are from the shallow end of the gene pool, which is drying up rapidly. All that will be left of you is a thin surface film of scum which Clorox cleans up nicely.

  • Donna Brazile

    Slimmy:

    It’s okay! A few people do get CUT from middle school sports programs as apparently you did since you have such a hang up about those participants. Don’t worry, I’m sure That One will can relate to your humiliation:-)

    Stop the lovefest!

  • Ferd Berfle

    LMAO, Donna

  • Donna Brazile

    Slimmy:

    I get it now! You were the EQUIPMENT MANAGER of your middle school baseball team. I see you are still trying to clean up after the game.

    Stop the lovefest!

  • QueenofHearts

    Slim Intellect,

    I am impressed with everything Larry writes here because it is thoughtful and insightful and he has a keen grasp of the truth. He, unlike you, is not walking around butt-snorkeling a fraud Messiah as he leads you off a cliff. But I suppose you’d have to be above a lemming on the evolutionary scale to understand this.

    Why don’t you ask The One You’ve Been Waiting For to bail you out by giving you a critical thinking skill. Oh, that’s right – he hasn’t got any to spare.