Major League Baseball

Did IRS controversy spill into sports?

Published May. 17, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

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Sam Gardner

The latest controversy to hit Washington is now seemingly spilling over to the softball field, where a game between an IRS recreational team called the Cheetahs — no, really — and a team from the office of Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn was canceled amid tensions between the two groups.

According to a Washington Free Beacon report, the team representing Cornyn, a Texas Republican, was supposed to play the IRS squad Friday, but the game was canceled on Thursday. Cornyn also posted to Facebook about the cancellation.

A spokesperson from Cornyn’s office told the Free Beacon that he was unsure of the reason for the IRS’ change of plans, but it could have something to do with Cornyn’s speech earlier this week on the Senate floor slamming the IRS for allegedly flagging conservative groups for additional review during the 2012 election cycle.

You can watch the speech here, if that’s your thing:

In the nearly nine-minute address Tuesday, Cornyn called for the resignation of acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller and compared the group to “corrupt, tin-pot dictators.”

"When the IRS starts behaving like a rogue agent that considers itself above the law, we’ve entered truly dangerous territory," Cornyn said. “… These abuses are not simply inappropriate — they’re a breach of faith with the American people, and they’re potentially violations of our criminal law.

"… This is the kind of behavior we associate not with the greatest democracy in the world, but with corrupt tin pot dictators."

Miller resigned from his position Wednesday, but apparently the consternation between Cornyn and the IRS hadn’t subsided enough by Thursday to share a diamond Friday night.

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