I watched on TV with my Dad and Grandad in the  when Jim Bunning pitched a perfect game. He was my hero that day.
"The date was June 21, 1964. The Phillies were playing the Mets at Shea Stadium in front of 32,026 fans. Jim Bunning took the mound for the Phillies on this Father's Day. The father of seven reached back and threw the game of his life. He faced the minimum 27 up 27 down. It was the first perfect game in the National League in 84 years."

http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/phightin _phils_phorum/2009/01/remembering-jim-bu nnings-perfect-game.html

I think Jerome meant MA not NY in the title so I made the edit.

If the environment stays bad for the Dems (no or bad health care, etc.) the GOP's chances would go from about 5% to about 40%.  Schilling would pull in a lot of independents.

Not only did MA Democrats allow Romney to be elected, they allowed Deval Patrick to be elected also.  That's almost as bad.

As soon as he opens his mouth and starts talking policy and where he stands he's toast. No choice, religious right, he's practically a club for growth candidate. Just is not going to fly in MA. As a pitcher Red Sox nation loves him as a candidate not so much.

If a Republican were to win Ted Kennedy's seat, it would truly be the end for Democrats.  It would be like a Democrat picking up Orrin Hatch's seat in Utah.  The Democratic party would go the way of the Whigs.  

A lot depends on whether the Dems try to shove an other Kennedy down our throats. Like Princess Caroline. Or the one who paralyzed the girl rolling over his Jeep. Or, god help us, if a stint in a Boston rehab counts as state residency for Patrick.

The Dems could win the seat if they rally around an upstanding public servant like Martha Coakley. She was, however, a Clinton supporter, so I expect Kerry, Patrick, and the rest to carve her to pieces, thus opening the door for somebody like Schilling.

People won't be fooled again in supporting a celebrity candidate, they were fooled by Arnold Schwarzenegger once, but they ain't going for it again. The republicans would be better off nominating someone in the state offices.  The state is too democratic to elect a republican, especially a celebrity at one to replace Kennedy's seat.

I don't even know what to say so much I'm shocked.

Best,
Austin,
Los Angeles Computer Repair

I would never count out a popular player and the devotion of the Red Sox nation - and Mass Republicans need celebrity badly, so this could be a real worst nightmare. If nothing else, I'd say the prospect of Schilling will kill Joe Kennedy's likelihood of jumping in; he'll be a hot PR mess compared to a clean cut baseball player. On the other hand, Coakley may offer the best counterprogramming: a woman with actual service in office, who's generally well liked. And, while Schilling may be an exceptional case, the record of sports stars succeeding in elections is decidedly mixed - Schilling is no answer, in the long run, for the failure of Republicans to find a coherent national strategy or candidates who talk about winning ideas. I'd worry about him winning... I doubt he'd be a trend.