Congressional baseball game offers longstanding traditions, and plenty of confusion

There were two 1s. Three 3s. Three 4s.

One 04. Three 6s. Two 06s.

Two 7s. Two 07s. 2 9s.

And three 12s. No. I wasn’t trying to decipher computer programming code.

This wasn’t a routing number for a checking account.Nor was I communicating in hexadecimals.I was staring at these numbers to unravel the GOP’s uniform numbers for the annual Congressional baseball game at Nats Park.

REPUBLICANS DESTROY DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME AGAIN, WINNING FOR 5TH STRAIGHT YEARCongressional Republicans and Democrats play each other in the event. It’s a custom dating back to 1909. No other athletic team in any sport on the planet allows players on the same team to wear the same numbers.

But since this is Congress, lawmakers get to choose whatever uniform number they want. On the Republican team, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN) both wear number one.

Reps. Chuck Flesichmann (R-TN), Greg Murphy (R-NC) and Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) don number three.You get the idea.

Old-time ballpark vendors used to hawk their wares by shouting, "You can’t tell the players without a scorecard." With all of these numbers, a scorecard won’t do. You need an abacus.

The Democrats aren’t much better with their uniform algebra. Four Democrats utilized the same uniform digits. There were two 3s.

Two 11s. Two 15s. And two 25s.

For instance, Reps. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.

Y., sported number three. Sen.

Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., requested number 11.

The game is a charity event, raising more than $3.2 million and coaxing 32,000 fans to the ballpark. So who wears what number really shouldn’t matter much.

SCHMITT GOES IN-DEPTH ON DIVING CATCH & CHANGES TO COLLEGE ATHLETICS ON ‘RUTHLESS’Unless you’re broadcasting the game on national television.That’s where I come in. I’ve had the privilege of announcing the game for Fox Sports for five years now, live on FS1.

I handle the color commentary. My Fox News colleague and former ESPN han