Sen. Deeds hopes he was a hit at Harbor Park

Creigh Deeds was supposed to throw out the first pitch at the Norfolk Tides' home game Wednesday night. It was to be a nice bit of publicity for someone seeking the Democratic Party nomination for governor in next week's primary.

But in fairness to his two opponents, Tides officials changed their minds.

Instead, Deeds found something better - and it had little to do with politics.

He was able to shake hands with Dave Lewis, the game's official score keeper.

"This is the guy?" Deeds asked with a laugh as he watched Lewis work in Harbor Park's press box.

"That's real power," said Deeds, an ardent baseball fan who favors the Cincinnati Reds. He stopped talking politics and was soon immersed in an on-air conversation with Tides broadcaster Bob Socci about the career path of a former Reds player now with the Tides.

"There's nothing like a baseball game to take your mind off life's worries," he said.

The game marked the end of another long day for Deeds, a state senator from Bath County who was in Hampton Roads hustling for votes and cash in advance of Tuesday's primary. After the game he moved on to Richmond, and he will be campaigning in Northern Virginia by Friday.

"We're doing everything we can think of," he said.

He had only two public appearances Wednesday - the ball game and a live TV news show at noon. The rest of the time he was on the phone talking one-on-one with once and future donors to his campaign.

"We've got six days left. We've got to close this race out," he said as he sat in the law office of Portsmouth City Councilman Steve Heretick preparing to begin several hours of phone calls.

Deeds contends that recent polls suggesting he is gaining support and an unexpected Washington Post editorial endorsement have given him an opening in the three-way primary. His opponents are former state legislator Brian Moran of Alexandria and Democratic Party activist Terry McAuliffe. The winner will take on Republican nominee Bob McDonnell in the November election.

All three Democrats have said that restoring the state's economy is the most important issue. Deeds said the key is going to be establishing a better state transportation system that includes more passenger and freight rail service as well as road projects. He has not said specifically how he would raise funds for the improvements.

"The first job of the next governor is to restore confidence," he said, arguing that upgrading the transportation network will spark more growth.

Recent campaign finance reports showed that Deeds had the smallest amount of cash on hand as of May 27, with McAuliffe having almost $1.2 million, and Moran $700,000, compared to Deeds' $520,000.

He's hoping that a new round of fundraising will help.

"We know who we're talking to, and we know what we're asking for," he said.

"Because I have a reputation as a nice guy, I've always been underestimated."

Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com