The LuLac Edition #222, May 13th, 2007

PHOTO INDEX: FORMER COLTS AND DOLPHINS BACK UP QB EARL MORRALL, FORMER PACKER BACK UP QUARTERBACK ZEKE BRATKOWSKI, FORMER PHILLIES BACK UP CATCHER GUS TRIANDOS AND THE BLOG EDITOR WITH HIS MOM. MOM'S NOT SURE ABOUT WHAT I DO ON THIS BLOG THING BUT SHE'S OKAY WITH IT AS LONG AS IT KEEPS HER BOY OUT OF TROUBLE! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM, YOU'RE THE BEST!

BACK UPS

When I was a kid growing up, the NFL was still in its formulation stages. It was a golden age for players and many a young boy followed and emulated Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas. They were the crème de le crème of the NFL quarterbacks. Me? I followed the back up QBs of those teams, for the Packers Zeke Bratkowski and the Colts, Earl Morrall. As for baseball, while other kids loved Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, I cheered on guys like Gus Triandos and Pat Corralles. When I met Corralles at the Vet as an adult, I introduced myself as a fan of his when I was a kid. He looked glumly at me and said, "So you were the one!" My status of cheering for back up players was later vindicated when Gus Triandos, a journeyman back up catcher caught Jim Bunning's Perfect Game on Father's Day 1964 against the Mets. Anyway, Triandos and the two back ups came to mind this week when I received an e mail telling me that Wilkes Barre City Council incumbents have been contributing to their opponents in the primary races in some districts. Good government? Generosity? Good sportsmanship?

The more cynical in Wilkes Barre have said that this is the way for the Democratic machine to keep control. If one of the incumbents goes down in a district, then there is a "back up" or "second choice" person to rubber stamp the Mayor's agenda. There is no doubt contributions have been made, but politicians have been contributing to each other for years. John F. Kennedy routinely gave money to Richard Nixon's early campaigns when they were both starting out in D.C. However when an opponent gives money to an opposing candidate in the same race, then that has to raise some eyebrows. Buying a ticket for an event to "show up and be seen" is one thing but an outright contribution against a district foe is unchartered territory. Yet, with this new district format, we are on unchartered turf. Mayor Tom Leighton has been criticized for giving money to non incumbents running against incumbents in certain districts. However, even the Democratic Executive Committee couldn't figure out who to endorse in District D, so they endorsed both McGinley and Barrett. But when you think about it, maybe the Mayor is employing a smart stretegy. When the dust clears, he could always say to the winner, whoever that is, "I was with ya!" Wilkes Barre and Luzerne County have always enjoyed a tangled web of political intrigue and gossip. The revelation that candidates are giving money to each other in the same race is just another delightful anecdote we can pass on to generations later in life. If the incumbents win, it'll be business as usual. And critics of this fundraising largesse have said if the back ups win, it'll be business as usual but with a different cast of chracters. REmenber this though, it's a strange thing about back ups, sometimes they take over and lead a team to an undefeated season (Morrall in Miami 1972), sometimes they steady the team when its leader is shakey and injured (Bratkowski in 1967) and sometimes they happen to be in the right place at the right time (Triandos in 1964) using the skills that prepared them for their moment in destiny. And when they achieve that moment in time, not many remember the logistics of how they got there.

LAC COMMISH RACE IN FULL TILT

The Lackawanna County Democratic Commissioner's race is in full tilt this weekend. Evie Refalko McNulty is on the air with her funky eyewear touting her strengths with the message that voters can make history by choosing her as the Dem nominee, after a faltering start the Washo effort has seemed to find its message with a clear, crisp TV ad telling us of the candidate's business experience and Corey O'Brien is on the air saying he'll be ready from day 1 to lead. We'll find out very soon. In the meantime, just for fun, as reported in LuLac Edition #221, here's Corey O'Brien's airplane again. This is old style campaigning at its finest. In the 1975 Commissioner's race, a young James Barrett McNulty leased a train that ran through the Lackawanna Valley the weekend before election. It was regarded as an old time tactic that people would embrace and love. They did and he lost anyway. Came in dead last. Anyway, here's the link: http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=879697046