Martha Coakley Should Watch Her Sports Analogies

The Democratic candidate in Massachusetts' special election to fill Ted Kennedy's seat blundered recently when she called Red Sox hero Curt Schilling, he of the bloody sock and clutch pitching that helped lead the BoSox to their first World Series victory in over 8 decades, a Yankee fan.

Huh?

She also may be the poster child for a candidate with a huge advantage in the bluest of the blue states to blow that advantage and turn victory into disaster for the Democrats in Massachusetts and nationally. Yes, that's right, to create another sports analogy, think the 2007 New York Mets, who were up 7 1/2 with 17 games to play only to blow it big time. If Coakley loses -- and a recent poll says that she's trailing -- well, her name could become part of the lexicon in the English language.

Here's why: in the early 1900's, Man 'o War was the biggest, baddest and fastest horse around. He was entered in a race, where he lost to a horse named Upset. At the time, the word upset meant (and still means) to overturn, as in to overturn a table. But once the news of Upset's surprise victory spread, the word "upset" took on an additional meaning.

Which means that if Martha Coakley, who dissed one of the Red Sox most significant heroes, loses on Tuesday, she'll have Coakleyed the race.

And then perhaps she'll have Curt Schilling calling her a Mets' fan.