GREEN & GLOVER: Most baseball players are Republican, says Nats' Beimel

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By Stephanie Green and Elizabeth Glover

Outside of the dugout, Washington Nationals players apparently feel free to dish about America's other favorite past time: politics.

G2 found this to be the case when we chatted up some of the Nats, who were nattily attired in tuxedos for Dream Gala 2009 — the annual fundraiser for the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, the charitable arm of the ball club — Saturday night at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Prince George's County.

First up to the plate was pitcher Joe Beimel, who says he learned about the game of politics on the knee of his father, a county commissioner in his hometown of St. Marys, Pa.

Mr. Beimel says that he is one of the few Democrats on the team. Although he says that talking politics in the locker room is considered somewhat "taboo," he has gathered that most baseball players are Republicans in general.

Why? "Taxes. Players tend to make a lot of money."

Mr. Beimel also says he was "a little disappointed" that baseball fan President Obama did not throw out the first pitch at the opening game as did President Bush last year.

"It would have been nice," concurred Garrett Mock, also a pitcher. "But we understand. If the president came to a game, people would say he should be doing other things. If he doesn't come, people criticize him too. We know he's a sports fan."

As for Mr. Beimel's assessment of the team's political majority, Mr. Mock compared baseball to capitalism. "In baseball, you have to look out for yourself. It's an individual sport."

Team manager Manny Acta, who at age 40 is one of the youngest of his peers in the league, would not reveal his own political persuasion, but volunteered "I don't watch a lot of news. I'm more of a sports guy."