The Republican National Committee cited a sports blog to refute Sen. Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) claim that Judge Sotomayor helped save baseball by ending a prolonged strike as a federal judge in 1995.
RNCSCOTUS, a Republican twitter account tracking Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings, tweeted:
Sen. Cardin repeats claim #Sotomayor saved baseball. As prev noted, Bob Costas says not so fast (via @HHReynolds): http://is.gd/1yNT8
Cardin, a Baltimore native, commented that Sotomayor allowed Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken to pass Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games played streak in 1995.
The RNC shot back, using a post at the blog “Hugging Harold Reynolds” that shows sportscaster Bob Costas saying in 2002:
Regardless of the legal merits of that decision, it was the worst thing that could have happened because had [the players’ union and owners] stayed there and had been forced to hammer it out…the situation wouldn’t have worsened as it inevitably did in the ensuing six or seven years.
Costas referred to a near-lockout that occurred during that season that would have suspended play for the second time in a decade.
Baseball has played a significant role in Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Members have brought up her decision on the 1994-95 strike as well as asked about her thoughts on Chief Justice John Roberts’ statement on judicial activism that a Justice’s job is to “call balls and strikes” like an umpire and not “pitch or bat” like a player.
An interesting side note: President Barack Obama, who nominated Sotomayor, sat down with Bob Costas to talk baseball before yesterday’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Obama threw out the game’s first pitch.
Costas’ 2002 comments are here: