For Better or for Worse?

Jimmy Carter's returns to Plains once seemed a celebration of his small-town roots, but they have come to resemble a political ritual, something the President may be doing because he feels it is expected of him. So it was on the Fourth of July weekend as Carter diligently strolled down Main Street, diligently went fishing, diligently attended church three times on Sunday. His neighbors, never over-awed by the local celebrity, seem less impressed than ever. "He could be doing something more useful in Washington," grumbled one storekeeper. "He don't even help business in Plains no more."

During the Main Street stroll, a little girl gaped at the famed peanut farmer. "You're so changed," she said.

"For better or for worse?" the President asked.

The girl gave no answer.

The ritual of rituals is the softball game, a rigid study in presidential informality. "O.K., where are the victims?" asked Carter as he strode onto the field in 100DEG heat. The White House team was loaded with Secret Service agents. "I thought the game was fixed when you bring ballplayers in from all over the country just to play one game," jeered a newly trim and fit Brother Billy, captain of the opposing team, a collection of locals and reporters.

The President pitched with intensity. He got one hit, a double, in five trips to the plate. He also walked once and once reached first with the help of an uncounted error. The final score was 13 to 3, and despite the heat Carter insisted on playing all nine innings. Said Billy: "It's the first thing he's won in so damn long, it's time he won something."

The President was not finished. After the game was over, he insisted on jogging around the parched field for another ten minutes. For a 55-year-old man embarking on a campaign against a 69-year-old challenger, it was quite a competitive display.

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