Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry DiPoto Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Mariners president shaded by congressman in ongoing House leader debacle

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 10/21/23

To be name-dropped by a sitting member of the U.S. House of Representatives sounds like a good thing unless it's because you're the butt of a joke. That's just what happened to Seattle Mariners president Jerry DiPoto.

In a social media post about the ongoing interparty battle over who will become the new Speaker of the House, Congressman Adam Smith (D-Wa.) explained the situation in a way only Mariners fans could painfully understand. As the business of the House can't be conducted without a Speaker, Smith has some time in his hands for zingers like this:

It seems Jim Jordan is taking advice from Kevin McCarthy on how to count votes. That’s like taking advice from Jerry Dipoto and the Seattle Mariners on how to win a World Series.
— Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) October 20, 2023

The lower chamber of Congress has gone without a Speaker for three weeks after Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the position. The California representative took the gavel in Jan. 2023 after the Republicans won back control of the House in the Nov. 2022 elections.

However, his speakership was always set to be a tenuous one as he needed to corral the support of members from the party's far-right faction to become Speaker. To take the top job in the House, McCarthy made a deal that would allow any Republican congressperson bring a vote to remove him from the role. It has led to several votes called for two different GOP congressmen that have not gone anywhere, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan.

As he struggles to get peers behind his push for the speakership, Jordan, one of those far-right members, was nominated by the the man his group help oust in the first place.

Smith's joke is about more than the usual political jabs between Democrats and Republicans, though the latter group certainly has drawn much ire for this latest congressional gridlock. It's also a self-deprecating one on behalf of his fellow Mariners fans who are starved for a World Series appearance, let alone win.

Seattle had incredibly high hopes for 2023 after breaking a 21-year playoff drought and featuring AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez. However in competitive races for the AL West crown and the wild-card spots, the M's were once again left on the outside looking in.

More must-reads: