M.L.

Ramono really is like a Beverly Cleary hero. He always seems to be getting into trouble, but just when Beezus is about to run out of patience and go get mom to bring in a reliever, Ramono scrapes his way out of the jam and everyone's happy and maybe the reader has even learned a lesson, like Don't Walk the Two Leadoff Batters, But If You Do, For Gosh Sake Keep the Ball Down and Try to Throw Grounders. Or, Once You've Thrown Ball Two, Bear Down and Pitch to the Batter and Stop Worrying about the Guy on First. Or, It Doesn't Matter How Many Guys You Let on Base, What Matters is Whether They Score, So Don't Sweat It and Keep Pitching. Ask Bill Clinton or George W. Bush: primary voters don't mind if you've gotten in trouble, as long as your story comes with a moral, and that's why Ramono is Friday's Majority Leader.

Delegate Count: Zimmerman 8, Soriano 7, Riker 7, Chief 4, Pedro Armas 3, Ramono 3, Schneider 2, Patterson 2, O'Connor 2, Livo 2, Vidro 1, Church 1, Barbarian 1, Kearns 1, Released: 4