Politicians love baseball (if only for the photo ops)

Year ago — back in olden days, before multi-tiered playoffs and Fox, back when what Tim McCarver thought about pitcher use was the conventional wisdom -- there was this quaint notion about election campaigns that they got serious after Labor Day and that the public started tuning in after the World Series ended.

This year the earliest the World Series can end is the day before the election.

Anyway, this Series pits teams from the geographical centers of liberal Democrats (San Francisco) and conservative Republicans (Texas).

And not surprisingly, the pols are out.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (left) is running for
lieutenant governor in California. His shirt has a small
Giants logo (perhaps understated so as not to antagonize
those voters who are Dodgers fans.)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is wearing
the team colors, but not the logo. (AP photo taken
at Game Two Thursday,)

Former President George W. Bush is big with his team identity, but then (a) he's not running for anything anymore and (b) he used to own the Rangers. He and his father will each throw out first balls before today's game. (AP photo taken at Game Three Saturday.)

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Poll stuff (non-election variety): The 45 participants in last week's poll are mostly on Bush's side on the baseball issue. Thirty-four (75 percent) want to see the Rangers win the World Series; 11 (25 percent) want the Giants.

New poll up. (And, for one day only, a special blog banner featuring my wife's pumpkin carvings.)