I hope Aanestad wins just so he can become first alphabetically in the all-time congressional directory. (Just kidding; I’ve heard he’s a solid conservative.)
For 50 years starting with his debut in 1954, Hank Aaron was first alphabetically among all-time major league baseball players. On April 6, 2004 (a week before the Golden Anniversary of Aaron’s debut), reliever David Aardsma made his MLB debut, thereby replacing Aaron as the first listing in baseball reference books. If Aanestad gets elected, he could be first forever.
Boy, is my face red. I decided to check the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress to see whose record Aanestad would break, and found out that a Fred Aandahl (R-ND) served a single term in Congress, elected to the House in 1950 but then losing a Senate race in 1952. So Aanestad would be number two all-time. Oh, well.
Ah, too bad. Being only the second Aa would still be pretty cool. The current #2 on the list is VA rat Watkins Abbitt. Michigan Republican John Zwatch is on the bottom beating out a guy I just mentioned on another thread, Zschau. A guy named John Zubly served in the Continental Congress! I didn’t know they had Continental Congress in that database.
Aardsma was on the Cubs and W Sox. Naturally he got better when he left town. With the Yankees now I see, or will be when he’s done rehabbing after Tommy John.