Baseball with Fred Barnes

It was my privilege to spend time with Fred Barnes – executive editor of Weekly Standard and co-host of Fox News Beltway Boys – at yesterday evening’s Colorado Rockies game. Thanks to Tom Roche of Roche Constructors, Inc., for generously providing an extra seat in his guest suite (which included a nice spread of baseball-friendly food and fixings), and to my Independence Institute colleague Amy Oliver for inviting me along. It was the first time to Coors Field for Fred Barnes, an avid fan of baseball, most especially (and regrettably) of the Boston Red Sox.

Fred Barnes has been a guest of the Independence Institute in the Denver area for the past several days – centered around his keynote speaking appearance at Saturday’s ATF Party.

I had last seen Fred Barnes give a speech at my alma mater Hillsdale College in days long past. But I’d never had the privilege of sitting down and talking to him in-depth before. With Amy and others, we talked about education, state issues, national politics, international events, and of course, baseball.

Fred asked before the game what had been the cause of the Rockies’ 2008 woes. By the end of the game, he had seen it for himself: a 15-8 late-innings drubbing brought on by a bullpen collapse. With the numerous home runs and other extra-base hits, he also got to witness firsthand just how well the ball travels in Coors Field’s mile-high air. For many of us our first time watching Hall of Fame-bound pitcher Greg Maddux in person, we also all got to witness the aging veteran as the winning San Diego Padres’ only lowlight. Strange.

Yesterday evening was memorable for the way it brought together three of my favorite pastimes: baseball, politics, and food. And I confirmed that the real Fred Barnes is very much the Fred Barnes heard on radio and seen on TV.