[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 11813]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             RUNNING IT OUT

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, a unique event occurred in a Philadelphia 
Phillies baseball game last week. The Philadelphia Phillies' shortstop, 
named Jimmy Rollins, who was the most valuable player in the league 
last year, hit a looping ball into left field--which was an easy ball 
to catch--and instead of running it out, he ran at a very leisurely 
pace down the first baseline. The left fielder on the defensive team 
moved in and, in a very unusual play, dropped the ball. Instead of 
Rollins getting to second base, he was left at first base.
  The Phillies' manager, Charles Manuel, then immediately benched Jimmy 
Rollins, the most valuable player in the league. He put him right on 
the bench because he did not run it out. That took a lot of guts, and 
manager Charles Manuel has been complimented on that, and I renew the 
compliment here today. But it is a great lesson, in my opinion, about 
the way baseball players ought to act and Senators ought to act and 
everybody ought to act. We all ought to so-called run it out, with that 
kind of intensity.
  I am an avid squash player, and one of the maxims I have developed 
over the years is that I am never too far ahead to lose and never too 
far behind to win. The game is always in play, if you run it out. I 
think it has some applicability to all facets of life in things that 
all people do, in terms of the intensity of their activity. And I think 
we need a lot more of that attitude in the Senate and a sense of 
urgency to deal with the people's business.
  This relates directly to the presentation I made a few moments ago on 
going back to the rules of the Senate on open debate, open amendment 
offering, and not filling the tree. But it is a great lesson to have 
that rule stamped indelibly of ``running it out.'' So I congratulate 
Charlie Manuel. He took out a key player, whose absence could have been 
decisive even in that game because of Rollins' hitting and fielding 
ability.
  But I think it is a great message and a great symbol for all of us to 
``run it out.''

                          ____________________