[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 9, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4709-S4710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, following any leader remarks, the Senate 
will resume consideration of the House message to accompany H.R. 4213, 
which is a bill to extend a number of expiring provisions, some of the 
tax issues we have to deal with every year, and some other good things 
to create jobs. There are going to be rollcall votes throughout the 
day.
  We have four amendments that are pending. The chairman and I spoke 
last night. We believe we need to clear some of these amendments out of 
the way before we start piling on more amendments. We really need 
Members to come forward. If they have amendments, talk with the 
managers of the bill. We need to move forward on this legislation. We 
cannot sit here, as we did yesterday, and not do a lot.
  Tomorrow, as everyone knows, we are going to spend a lot of time on 
the Murkowski resolution. That could take as many as 7 hours of floor 
time.
  We need to move forward. We are out of session on Friday and Monday, 
really the only two nonvote days we have this entire work period.


                             Primary Night

  Mr. President, it was primary night last night. I expressed in many 
different ways--I was up early this morning with my supporters in 
Nevada, telling them I appreciate their help.
  I congratulated my Republican opponent in the general election, 
Sharron Angle, on the campaign she ran. She actually came from nowhere 
in a 13-person field in the Republican primary to win this election. I 
extended my appreciation to her in that regard.


                                Baseball

  Mr. President, as a little sidenote, because we have 5 months to 
campaign all over the country, including Nevada, I want to take a pause 
and think about some of the things going on in the country.
  One of the things going on in the Nation's Capital is tremendously 
interesting to me, and that is baseball. I watched on television last 
night much of the performance of this 21-year-old phenom, Stephen 
Strasburg. I watched not only him pitch but the interview after the 
game. He is 21 years old. He carried himself so well. In 7 innings, he 
struck out 14 Major League Baseball players. He did it very well. He is 
right-handed, but he reminded me so much of Sandy Koufax because he 
throws more than 100 miles an hour. He throws a curveball about 85 
miles an hour. People who follow baseball know that is remarkable. That 
is great control. The reason I mention that is because he was the No. 1 
draft choice for the Washington Nationals.
  The No. 1 draft choice for the Washington Nationals a couple of days 
ago was a 17-year-old boy from Las Vegas, NV, named Bryce Harper. When 
Bryce Harper was 15 years old, he hit a home run more than 550 feet, 
which is a Mickey Mantle-type of home run, which Mickey Mantle did not 
do often. He took the GED when he finished his sophomore year in high 
school. He went immediately to junior college and played in the Junior 
College World Series this year. He is a wonderful young man. He has a 
great family. He is going to be in Washington playing Major League 
Baseball very soon. I think he will probably start playing in the Major 
Leagues at about the same age

[[Page S4710]]

as Al Kaline did, who was a Major League Baseball player. He throws as 
well as Al Kaline. He hits probably better than Al Kaline did.
  Washington is fortunate to have these two fine young men. Not only 
are they great baseball players, but from everything we know about the 
two young men, they are good role models for young men and women around 
the country.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, will the majority leader yield before 
changing the subject?
  Mr. REID. Yes.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I say to my friend from Nevada, I was 
there. I had a chance to see Strasburg. As remarkable as the 14 
strikeouts my friend referred to is the fact he did not walk anybody. 
What a remarkable athlete. We can only hope and pray that his arm holds 
up and that he has the kind of career everyone is anticipating. There 
was literally electricity in the air. It was an exciting event. It was 
great to be there.
  Mr. REID. I so appreciate my counterpart talking about that. I wish I 
could have been there. But it was, even watching it on TV--gee whiz, 
there are those of us who love sports, and I know my friend loves 
basketball, especially that which takes place in Kentucky and the 
others, of course, in Kentucky. But this was really a remarkable 
performance. For Washington, which has been so starved for a good 
athletic team of some kind, it was nice.
  I say to my friend through the Chair, when I was going to law school 
here, I watched two Major League Baseball games in the old Griffith 
Stadium. Oh, they were so much fun. I don't know who won. I am sure the 
Washington team lost. I know the two teams they played both times were 
the Yankees, where I watched Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, 
and all those great players.
  From this work in which we are engaged, which is always so serious, 
it is nice once in a while to divert our attention to something that is 
a little more relaxing. That baseball game last night was not relaxing, 
but it sure was a lot of fun.
  Mr. President, my staff just indicated that I said we would not be in 
on Friday and Monday. We probably will be in; there will just be no 
votes.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if I may add one point, the majority 
leader mentioned that Bryce Harper was drafted by the Nationals on 
Monday. I look forward to him being the next Nevada contribution to the 
Washington area, right after my friend the majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I say to my friend, it is a wonderful story. 
His brother, who was a great pitcher at California State Fullerton--
which won the NCAA National Baseball Championship--his brother thought 
so much of his little brother, who is 4 years younger than he is, that 
he transferred from California State Fullerton to a junior college so 
he could play with his brother. The elder Harper is a pitcher, and the 
catcher is his little brother. The senior member of the brotherhood of 
Harper ball players, his record was 12 and 1 this year.
  Another word about Bryce Harper. Community college baseball is very 
competitive. The record for the most home runs for any player in junior 
college baseball was 12. Bryce Harper hit 30. His batting average as a 
17-year-old boy playing with men was .450. In one game, he was six for 
six. I think he had three or four home runs. It is an interesting 
story.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I will say that what one can conclude 
from this is that next year, when the Senate is not in session in the 
evening, both the Democratic and Republican leaders will be at the Nats 
games.
  Mr. REID. I think that is pretty clear.

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