On Thursday night, July 14, America’s elected officials took a much deserved break from trying to figure out what to do with all that debt, and took part in the most American of activities: baseball.

The 50th annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game was played at Nationals Stadium last week, and, thanks to a pair of well-educated NotGraphs readers, what you’ll find below is a brilliant review of the Democrats’ 8-2 victory, their third in a row since 2009, after they, the rest of the country, and, well, the world, took it on the chin from the Republicans for eight straight — and long — years.

Huge political props go out to Dara and Noah for their review. Thank you kindly, and long live the American spirit.

Even the participants in the annual Congressional Baseball Game are aware that it’s a slightly pathetic event. The only Baseball Hall of Famer who’s ever appeared in the game, former senator Jim Bunning, is not a member of the Congressional Baseball Hall of Fame, and the game program prominently features a quote from former Congressman Marty Russo calling it “the one thing that’s left where members (of Congress) get to have fun together.” Nonetheless, the 2011 game, played last Thursday at Nationals Park, managed a crowd of a few thousand Congressional staffers, interns, and hometown fans nostalgic for the lovable bumbling of the past few Nationals seasons. But fans on the left-field (aisle?) side were in for a pleasant surprise. The Democrats turned in an impressingly not-incompetent performance, winning 8-2 on the strength of a legitimate gem from pitcher Cedric Richmond.

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If a picture is, as they say, worth a thousand words, the photograph above — courtesy of The Associated Press, and brought to our attention by charming, witty and all-around delightful NotGraphs reader Nate — is worth at least 3,321 of them.

My initial reaction, upon seeing the photo in my inbox: Mark Reynolds and Kevin Gregg have nothing in common. Followed by: I wonder what flavor those seeds are? I’m all about Original, but Sea Salt & Black Pepper is worthy of much praise.

Over in the forum at Orioles Hangout, where Baltimore’s baseball supporters engage in what I assume amounts to online therapy, they’ve taken “Complacent Reynolds,” captured gloriously in time enjoying some sunflower seeds on the diamond, to new Photoshop heights. There are 28 pages, and, as of Friday afternoon, 406 posts in the thread.

Below are my favorites — please click to embiggen! — via Orioles Hangout user jofalfa:

Orioles fans don’t have much; it warms my heart to know they’ve still got a sense of humor.

Thanks, Nate. I owe you a bag of sunflower seeds.

I know what you’re thinking: The artist’s rendition of Judge Joe West is bloody superb.

Prosecution, and a whole whack of taxpayers’ dollars: You’re gone!

Original image credit: The Associated Press.

The video above, which came my way via the Twitter account of my mate Michael Clair, took my mind off last night’s tragic events in Arlington, albeit briefly. They were a welcome 90 seconds; a reminder of the joy most young boys have at the ballpark.

Swag, indeed. May the young fella dance forever.

I know, the photo’s from last week, but I just found it, so it’s new to me.

Anyway, we’ve got two options, as we go deep inside the mind of ace Justin Verlander, as he chokes teammate Magglio Ordonez:

1. Why the hell did I draft you in my pool?!1

2. This is what I’d like to maybe do to Joe West.

Image credit: The Associated Press. Thanks, AP.

Streetwise NotGraphs reader Paul brought the above to our attention, and, well, we’re all better for it.

Is that Mo Vaughn on the left? And Rick Ross on the right? That’s for you to decide. Personally, I think Mo Vaughn is Rick Ross, while David Ortiz might be related to one or both of them.

Paul left us with one additional gem, from Rick Ross and Mo Vaughn’s hit, Luxury Tax, featuring, among others, Lil Wayne:

They say I couldn’t play baseball at all.
And now everyday of my life,
I ball.

Poetry, yo. It’s a beautiful thing.

Head nod out to Paul. A dap greeting, too, perhaps.

Remember VCRs? Of course you do. So does our favorite umpire, Joe West.

You’ll be happy to know that the NotGraphs Investigative Reporting Investigation Team has confirmed, with help from our resident Photoshopper Ross (@syourh), that The Great Ejector has no time for Netflix; that his VCR is still going strong. Because, as Joe West said so himself, or would if I could ask him about VCRs, there are far too few things in life with an “EJECT” button on them.

Thanks, Ross. Keep up the great work around here.

Edwin Encarnacion hit his third home run of the season, a solo shot, Saturday night in St. Louis, leaving him only 37 shy of the 40 long balls¹ the Toronto Blue Jays brass told us he had the potential to hit.

Octavio Dotel, as you can see, called the round-tripper. Why else would he, in a 6-2 game, be so super stoked about it?

The next time you catch a ball at the ballpark, home run or foul ball, whether you predicted it or not, I trust that you’ll channel your inner Octavio, and do the Dotel as if no one were watching.

1. A hunch: Edwin’s probably not going to get there.

Much love, respect and adulation to @James_In_TO for posting the GIF (pronounced: “Jif”) in a tweet.

A wise Jedi Master once said:

When you fall, apprentice, catch you I will.

I’m rooting for Josh Spence. You should be, too.

Nerd up: NotGraphs reader Buddy O. Indebted, we are.

He won’t be needing his old desktop computer anymore. Especially not that damn monitor.

Original image credit: Daily Dose of Imagery.