Gerald Ford: A Stain Club Tribute

Over the past few days since Gerald Ford's death, I wanted to write something discussing the Ford Presidency. Much has already been said about whether the Nixon pardon was good for the country, and countless Chevy Chase skits have been re-hashed while commentators reference Ford's athleticism. We here at the Stain Club, however, pay our respects a little differently. We compare all the things we love and hate in life to baseball players.

Gerald Ford, therefore is the ultimate reliever. Think about it... by the time he was appointed Vice President (called up to the majors) he had carved out a solid career in the House of Representatives, even getting the occasional start as the Minority Leader. If serving as Minority Leader in an increasingly irrelevant Congress doesn't equate to a solid career as a middle reliever, I don't know what would. Especially when you consider that he could never get his party over the hump and take over as Speaker. Everything changed for the Republicans and Ford when their ace starter, Nixon, royally blew it. Someone had to step in and try and salvage a season-defining game. That man was Gerald Ford.

Nixon had given up a lot of runs and had left at least two men on base late in the game. The Democrats were lining up Congressional hearings about Watergate (something along the lines of sending David Ortiz or Albert Pujols to bat) and Ford knew this was trouble. He didn't whine or complain and point the finger at Nixon for putting him in a position every pitcher has nightmares about. Ford did what he had to do and started things off with an intentional walk, in this case, the Nixon pardon. Sure it put him in a personally worse position, but it gave him the breathing room to deal with a less imposing batter, which could be represented by the communist takeover of Vietnam or the sputtering economy. Both serious problems... but no one is going to think about Vietnamese communists for the MVP.

In the end, Ford lost his campaign for re-election. But considering how big Nixon's stain was, I don't think we can hold it against him. Relief pitchers come in late in the game, more often than not when the game isn't going well, and just try and go huge in the hopes that they have it. Gerald Ford was such a man and the Stain Club salutes him.