We recently saw CQ Roll Call reporter Abby Livingston‘s article on the upcoming Women’s Congressional Softball game public roster and reached out to her. When she replied, her pure joy that Congressional Softball was back prompted us to ask her to write a guest post. But before we get to the best things about the game, there are a few things you should know about Abby:

• She is co-captain of the press team (hardcore), AKA “The Bad News Babe.” In real life she’s a political reporter at CQ Roll Call.
• They play for a charity, the Young Survivtal Coalition, which supports women under the age of 40 who have breast cancer.
• Both teams practice twice a week at 7am (did we mention hardcore?).
• Get your tickets to the Fifth Annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game here or visit their main website.
• She’ll be crushing it at the game on June 26th (True story, we had to postpone this article for batting practice. Again, hardcore.).

Now the reason you’re all here….

Top Ten Things That Make Congressional Softball Great

10. Lynn Sweet’s garden gloves. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Malet)

 9. Former Rep. Laura Richardson leaving her ethics hearing so she’d be on time to the game last year.

 8. Every other league I’ve ever played in made me remove my pearls and other jewelry before the game. This is how the Congressional Women’s Softball Game rolls.

7. The fact that Sen. Heidi Heitkamp says she had absolutely no idea about the game when she unleashed this disturbing ad. Watching it for the first time felt worse than the day “Sports Night” got canceled.

6. The game is an excellent psychological motivation to get fit. As the pitcher last year, I ran out of gas in the 7th inning. It was a hundred degrees and I began to hurt like I do the morning after a Springsteen concert when I pull all my arm muscles from Jersey air fist pumping for 3 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand looked effortless on the mound. That is what gets me up and running in the mornings this year.

So Senator, bring on your wreckin’ ball.

5. The fact that while beating Congress we can help beat cancer.

4. I recently discovered an online subculture of young women who very dramatically idolize female Members of Congress. One of the girls has gone so far as to petition her parents online for permission to travel to the game. I’m honestly not sure what to make of this.

3. Witnessing my father personally apologize “on behalf of the family” to a member of Congress after the game for my behavior last year.

2. This. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Malet)

1.This is a public service the press performs each year. We are the common enemy that brings Republican and Democratic women together. We do it for America.