Members of Congress and staffers dominated lobbyists through two games Tuesday night before a crowd of about 200 at the Hoops for Hope Charity All-Star Classic at the GWU Smith Center.

Despite brief interferences by a timid referee and an event staff member chasing a bird with a box, congressional staffers overcame consistent rallies by the lobbyists to secure a 61-53 victory in the first game. Mike Hurst and Keith Stern were the high scorers for the staffers, while Josh Mathis and Zach Sherman carried the offense for the lobbyists. 

Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) provided the offensive punch for the members of Congress in the second game, handing the lobbyists their second defeat of the evening, 44-33.  Assisting on defense, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) displayed shot-blocking prowess in the first half when he stifled a lobbyist’s lay-up, bringing a roar of approval from the crowd. For the lobbyists, Al Jackson led all scorers with 13 points.

Rep. Jack Quinn (R-N.Y.), lobbyist Paul Miller and the American League of Lobbyists Foundation started the bipartisan charity event in 1998.  At that time only one game was played. As the fundraiser reached its sixth year, “more people wanted to play,” commented Miller, and a second game was added.

Miller said he hoped the event would raise $50,000 for Horton’s Kids, a nonprofit tutoring and mentoring organization, and Hill Help, a nonprofit, nonpartisan volunteer organization devoted to serving the needy. 

Hurricane Katrina relief: Lobbyists draw veterans from ‘Real World’

Members of Congress will mix with Redskinettes and former cast members of “The Real World” for a good cause tomorrow at the Hard Rock Cafe.

“DC Rocks for the Troops” will benefit the Armed Forces Foundation, with most of the proceeds going toward military families affected along the Gulf Coast.

The $45 admission includes drinks and appetizers, but the organizers — lobbyists Larry Estrada of Hewlett-Packard, Zac Moffatt of Cassidy & Associates and Claudio Ochoa of DLA Piper Rudnick — got corporate sponsors to cover all costs, ensuring that all revenues go to the foundation.

Admission gets you music by the Cafe Wha Band, named the country’s top cover band by Rolling Stone, and mingling with six Redskinettes and Adam from MTV’s “Real World — Paris,” as well as Rachel from “Real World — Austin.”

“Some of them are friends of mine,” said Estrada of the Real Worlders. “I moved out here from California three years ago, and I have some ties to the entertainment world. These folks are always starving for attention.”

Sens. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), as well as Reps. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), are among the members expected to attend.

Marrow drive tomorrow honors former Jeffords aide

Inspired by a friend’s bout with leukemia, a group of current and former Senate staffers has organized a bone-marrow

drive tomorrow in Hart 124 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Jess Eiesland, 28, worked for Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) from January 2003 until this June, when he moved to California to begin a career in financial services. Only days later, he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia.

He endured one round of chemotherapy in California before moving to the Mayo Clinic for another round and to wait for a bone-marrow donor to be found.

In the meantime, his cousin Trish Engle, of the Senate floor staff, as well as Sally Cluthe in Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) office and Stephanie Bluma, a former aide to Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), set about organizing a donor drive on the Hill.

Recently, Eiesland’s sister was identified as a matching donor, but the aides decided to press forth with the event in an effort to assist other families and to help the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) boost its database of willing donors.

About five nurses from NMDP, assisted by Hill staffers, will be on hand, said Engel. The organization has agreed to waive the customary cost of $65-$90 for the testing.

Bluma, who donated marrow four years ago after matching a patient in another Senate

drive, said the pain of the procedure has been mitigated.

“It hurts a little, but you’re OK in a couple days,” she said.

The test consists of a simple finger prick and filling out a consent form, similar to donating blood, she said.

China trade policy thwarting silk for Blue Dog neckties

It’s a sharp tie that Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) was sporting at a reception hosted by the Blue Dog Democrats on Tuesday. And an appropriate one, too — set on the background of the red silk was a pattern of blue paw prints.

He said he didn’t have it custom made. Quite the contrary, he found it at a museum store. But, he said, so many of his fellow Blue Dogs want one that “we’re trying to get them custom made.”

“Unfortunately,” said Cardoza, “the trade practices of some of my colleagues” are making it difficult.

You see, the silk from the ties comes from China, and like many Democrats, some Blue Dogs object to Chinese trade practices.

For now, said Cardoza, “We’re looking for a domestic supplier of silk.”